Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat who has represented California's 37th congressional district since 2023, faces fellow Democrat Samantha Mota, a community activist, for re-election to the 37th district seat in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Sydney Kamlager-Dove.
- Born
- July 20, 1972
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois
- Education
- Saint Ignatius College Prep
Compton College
University of Southern California (Bachelor of Arts in political science)
Carnegie Mellon University (Master of Arts in arts management)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Sydney Kamlager-Dove was born on July 20, 1972, in Chicago, Illinois, to actress Cheryl Lynn Bruce and Don Kamlager; her stepfather is the artist Kerry James Marshall. She graduated from Saint Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit high school, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science at the University of Southern California. She later received a Master of Arts in arts management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.
Career
Kamlager-Dove worked for arts and nonprofit organizations before entering elected office.
In 1996 she was spokesperson for the Social and Public Art Resource Center in Venice, California, and a year later its public art director; she then worked as an assistant to actor Delroy Lindo and as public affairs director for the child care nonprofit Crystal Stairs.
After working on Holly Mitchell's 2010 State Assembly campaign she became Mitchell's district director, and on March 3, 2015, she won Seat 3 on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District.
She won an April 3, 2018, special election for California's 54th State Assembly district, where she co-authored the CROWN Act, and on March 2, 2021, she was elected to the California State Senate with 67.67% of the vote, succeeding Mitchell in the 30th district.
In November 2022 she was elected to the U.S. House for California's 37th congressional district, replacing Karen Bass, who ran for mayor of Los Angeles.
In the 119th Congress she serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she is ranking member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, and on the Committee on the Judiciary.
2026 race
Sydney Kamlager-Dove is seeking re-election in California's 37th congressional district, which she won in 2024 with 78.3% of the vote. She and Samantha Mota, a community activist and fellow Democrat, advanced from the top-two primary, so the general election is a contest between two Democrats. Mota took 11.67% of the primary vote, narrowly ahead of Republican lobbyist Baltazar Fedalizo with 10.70%. Kamlager-Dove and Mota meet in the general election on November 3, 2026.