US Midterms 2026
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Jim Costa, a Democrat who has served in the U.S. House since 2005 and has represented California's 21st congressional district since 2023, faces Republican casino owner Kyle Kirkland in his 2026 reelection race.
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Recent media coverage for Jim Costa.
Topic: A coalition of prominent House Democrats led by Sen. Ed Markey and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including Rep.
Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) is leading a bipartisan effort to fully implement the Graham-Russia sanctions law.
A bipartisan group of 22 House lawmakers, led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-21), urged the Trump administration to fully and faithfully implement the Lindsey O.
The Newsweek article discusses a bipartisan letter urging President Trump to revoke a Russia diesel deal, led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and signed by Republicans including Rep.
WilsonTopic: Emanuel Cleaver (Missouri) and his stance within the House, particularly in relation to leadership dynamics and support for long-tenured members.
No story this week names this candidate.
Jim Costa was born James Manuel Costa on April 13, 1952, in Fresno, California, to Manuel and Lena Cardoso Costa. All four of his grandparents immigrated from the Azores in the early 20th century, and he grew up working on the family farm.
Costa graduated from San Joaquin Memorial High School, a private Catholic school in Fresno, in 1970 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from California State University, Fresno, in 1974.
He later worked as an aide to U.S. Representative John Krebs and as chief of staff to Assemblyman Rick Lehman.
Costa was elected to the California State Assembly in 1978 at age 26, the youngest member of the legislature at the time. He served in the Assembly from 1978 to 1994 and in the State Senate from 1994 to 2002, and he sponsored the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, signed into law in 1995. From 2000 to 2001 he was president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In 2004 Costa won the 20th congressional district seat opened by the retirement of Cal Dooley, defeating Republican state senator Roy Ashburn by 53% to 47%.
He represented the 20th district from 2005 to 2013 and the 16th district from 2013 to 2023, and after redistricting he has represented the 21st district since 2023.
Costa chaired the Blue Dog Coalition during the 116th Congress and the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture during the 117th. In the 119th Congress he serves on the Committees on Agriculture and Foreign Affairs.
Jim Costa is seeking reelection in California's 21st congressional district, where he was re-elected in 2024 with 52.6% of the vote. He and Republican Kyle Kirkland, a casino owner who ran for the 20th district in 2024, advanced from the top-two primary. Democrats Eric Garcia and Lourin Hubbard, Republican Lorenzo Rios and Lance Kruse, who had no party preference, were eliminated. Costa faces Kirkland in the general election on November 3, 2026.
