Mark Takano
Mark Takano, a Democrat who has served in the U.S. House since 2013 and represented California's 39th congressional district since 2023, faces Republican Lake Elsinore city councilor Steve Manos for re-election in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Mark Takano.
- Born
- December 10, 1960
- Birthplace
- Riverside, California
- Education
- La Sierra High School
Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts in government, 1983)
University of California, Riverside (MFA in creative writing for the performing arts, 2010)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Mark Takano was born on December 10, 1960, in Riverside, California. He is Sansei, the grandson of people born in Japan who immigrated to the United States, and his family was relocated and interned in a War Relocation Camp during World War II.
He graduated as class valedictorian of La Sierra High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University in 1983 and later received an MFA in creative writing for the performing arts from the University of California, Riverside, in 2010.
Takano taught British literature in public schools for 23 years.
Career
Takano was a member of the Republican Party through college before joining the Democratic Party, and in 1990 he was elected to the Riverside Community College Board of Trustees.
He ran for the U.S. House in California's 43rd congressional district in 1992 and 1994, losing both general elections to Republican Ken Calvert, the first by 519 votes.
In 2012 he ran in the newly drawn 41st district, finished second in the open primary and then defeated Republican John Tavaglione, 58% to 42%, becoming the first openly gay non-white member of the House.
Takano represented the 41st district from 2013 to 2023 and has represented the 39th since 2023. He became chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee after Democrats won the House majority in the 2018 elections, and in the 119th Congress he is ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He chairs the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.
2026 race
Mark Takano is seeking re-election in California's 39th congressional district, which he won in 2024 with 56.7% of the vote. The top-two primary was a two-way contest in which Takano took 61.04% of the vote and Republican Steve Manos, a Lake Elsinore city councilor, took 38.96%. Both advanced to the general election, where Takano faces Manos on November 3, 2026.