Richard Pan, a Democrat and pediatrician who served in the California State Senate from 2014 to 2022, faces independent Kevin Kiley in the 2026 election for California's 6th congressional district.
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- Born
- October 28, 1965
- Birthplace
- Yonkers, New York
- Education
- Mt. Lebanon High School
Johns Hopkins University (bachelor's degree)
University of Pittsburgh (Doctor of Medicine)
Harvard University (Master of Public Health)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Richard Pan was born on October 28, 1965, in Yonkers, New York, to a Taiwanese American immigrant family, and he was raised in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
After graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School, he earned a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Health from Harvard University.
He completed his pediatric residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he also served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship at Children's Hospital Boston. Pan is married to Wen Li-Wang, a dentist, and the couple live in Sacramento with their two children.
Career
Pan is a practicing pediatrician and a professor at the University of California, Davis, where he led the pediatric residency program and founded Communities and Physicians Together, a service learning curriculum for physicians in training.
He entered elected office in the California State Assembly, representing the 5th Assembly district and, after the 2010 redistricting, the 9th.
In 2014 he won election to the California State Senate, where he represented the 6th Senate district, covering parts of Sacramento and Yolo counties, until 2022, and he chaired the California Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus from 2020 to 2022.
In the Senate, Pan and Senator Ben Allen introduced Senate Bill 277 in 2015, which eliminated philosophical and religious belief exemptions to vaccine requirements for California school children and was signed by Governor Jerry Brown. In 2021 he authored SB 742, which made it illegal to harass or obstruct people on their way to get a vaccination. Pan entered the race for mayor of Sacramento in June 2023 and withdrew after finishing third in the March 5, 2024 primary.
2026 race
Richard Pan announced his intention to run for Congress on October 14, 2025, and later declared his candidacy in California's 6th congressional district after first running in the 3rd district.
The 6th district's incumbent is independent Kevin Kiley, who was re-elected as a Republican with 55.5% of the vote in 2024 and continues to caucus with House Republicans.
In the June 9, 2026 top-two primary, Pan placed second with 23.17%, behind Kiley at 24.28% and ahead of Republican applications engineer Michael Stansfield, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and West Sacramento mayor Martha Guerrero.
Pan faces Kiley in the general election on November 3, 2026.