Sara Jacobs
Sara Jacobs, a Democrat who has represented California's 51st congressional district since 2023 after one term in the 53rd district, faces Republican business owner Ricardo Cabrera in her 2026 re-election race.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Sara Jacobs.
- Born
- February 1, 1989
- Birthplace
- San Diego, California
- Education
- Torrey Pines High School
Columbia University (Bachelor of Arts in political science, 2011)
Columbia University (Master of International Affairs in international relations, 2012)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Sara Jacobs was born in San Diego on February 1, 1989. Her grandfather is Irwin M. Jacobs, a co-founder and former chairman of the semiconductor company Qualcomm.
She graduated from Torrey Pines High School and from Columbia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2011 and a Master of International Affairs in international relations in 2012.
Jacobs then worked for the United Nations and UNICEF, became a contractor to the U.S. Department of State in February 2014, and served as a policy advisor on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
After that election she formed a nonprofit, San Diego for Every Child: The Coalition to End Child Poverty.
Career
Jacobs first ran for Congress in 2018 in California's 49th district, finishing third in the primary behind Diane Harkey and Mike Levin.
In 2020 she ran in the 53rd district, placed first in the top-two primary and defeated San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez in November, becoming the youngest U.S. representative from California when she took office on January 3, 2021.
After redistricting following the 2020 census, she ran in the 51st district in 2022 and defeated Republican Stan Caplan with around 62% of the vote. Jacobs was the caucus leadership representative in the 118th Congress, which made her the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership.
In the 119th Congress she serves on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa.
2026 race
Sara Jacobs is the incumbent in California's 51st congressional district, which she won in 2024 with 60.7% of the vote. In the top-two primary she finished first with 57.74%, and Republican Ricardo Cabrera, a business owner, placed second with 37.04%, ahead of Democrats David W. Engel and Stan Caplan. Jacobs and Cabrera face each other in the general election on November 3, 2026.