The 26th Congressional District
The 26th Congressional District race is a brand new election for the Santa Clarita Valley and one of two new districts that picked up a slice of the SCV as a result of Proposition 50.
The seat is currently held by Julia Brownley, a Ventura County Democrat who announced earlier this year that she’s not seeking re-election.
The new, wide-open seat — which is largely based in Ventura County, with a few slivers of northern SCV territory — drew plenty of interest.
There are plenty of candidates to choose from, including seasoned politicians and newbies, a pastor, a policy adviser, a physician, a system engineer, business owners and an Assembly member to name a few.
Ahead of California’s top-two Primary Election on June 2, The Signal asked all four candidates the following questions about these hotly debated issues.
1. Where do you stand on the administration’s priorities with respect to operations that target illegal immigration?
2. What has been President Donald Trump’s best accomplishment in the first 18 months of his second term and where has he failed?
3. Should Congress have more oversight on the situation in Iran? Explain your answer.
The certified list of candidates includes the following: Chris Espinosa, a federal policy adviser (D); Liam Andres O’Neill Hernandez, a businessman (D); Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks; Dr. Sonia Kacker, a physician (D); Sasan Samadzadeh, a construction inspector/caretaker (D); Sam Gallucci, a business executive/pastor (R); Michael Koslow, a businessman (R); Daniel Miller, a businessman/actor (R); and William “Bill” Scott, a systems engineer (R).
The candidates were also invited to submit a biography of up to 150 words. The answers for the candidates who responded, as well as the brief bios self-submitted, are presented below in alphabetical order by last name:
Sam Galluci
My name is Sam Gallucci, and I am running for Congress to bring faith, family, freedom and common-sense leadership back to Washington. I am a pastor, nonprofit leader, former business executive, husband, father, and longtime Ventura County resident. For decades, I have served families across our community — leading churches, building nonprofit programs, helping vulnerable women and children, supporting agricultural workers, and working directly with people who need real solutions, not political talking points. I am running because Washington is broken. Families are struggling with rising costs, unsafe communities, open borders, and leaders who seem more interested in power than service. Ventura County deserves a representative who has built organizations, solved problems, and served people face-to-face. I will fight to secure the border, restore public safety, protect parental rights, defend religious liberty, support small businesses, and put American families first.
1. I support strong, lawful enforcement operations targeting individuals here illegally who have committed crimes, threatened public safety, or endangered our communities. At the same time, we need a practical, orderly process for those who have lived here peacefully, worked hard, paid taxes, and contributed to our economy and community. We must secure the border, enforce the law, protect citizens, and create a system that is fair, accountable, and rooted in common sense.
2. President Trump’s best accomplishment has been refocusing Washington on border security, American strength, energy independence, and putting working families ahead of the political class. Where he has fallen short is in needing clearer, more disciplined communication and stronger follow-through on uniting Americans around solutions — not just exposing the failures of the left, but building durable consensus to fix them.
3. Yes. Congress should have more oversight on Iran because the Constitution gives Congress a central role in matters of war, funding and national security. The president must be able to act quickly to protect Americans, but any sustained military action, escalation, or long-term commitment should include congressional authorization, transparency, and accountability to the American people.
Liam Andres O’Neill Hernandez
My name is Liam Andres O’Neill Hernandez, and I am a candidate for California’s 26th Congressional District. I’m running because working families across Ventura and Los Angeles counties deserve bold leadership that directly addresses healthcare costs, housing affordability, transportation, child care, and economic inequality.
As someone who helps run my family’s business, Bedder Mattress, I’ve seen firsthand how rising costs are hurting families and small businesses. My campaign supports Medicare for All, paid family and medical leave, universal child care and major transportation expansion throughout the district. I support building a light rail connection from Woodland Hills through Ventura County ending in Castaic, while also expanding Santa Clarita public bus service to Ventura Beach to better connect workers, students and families.
I also support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and replacing it with a more transparent and accountable immigration enforcement system that respects civil rights, due process and human dignity while maintaining border security.
1. I strongly oppose large-scale immigration enforcement operations that create fear in working-class communities and separate families without addressing the root causes of immigration challenges. I support secure borders and modernized immigration enforcement, but I believe ICE, in its current form, has become overly militarized and lacks sufficient accountability and transparency. I support abolishing ICE and replacing it with a more focused system centered on border security, human trafficking prevention, due process, and coordination with local communities while creating expanded legal pathways for workers and families.
2. President Trump’s greatest accomplishment has been waking up the Democratic Party, independent voters, and many minority communities to what I believe is the danger of extreme political leadership and division. In my view, his rhetoric and governing style have energized an entire generation of politically active Americans who now feel a stronger responsibility to defend democratic institutions, civil rights and economic fairness.
As for where he has failed, I believe the first 18 months of his second term have largely been unsuccessful. I believe the country is facing deeper division, economic instability, and growing public frustration, while many working families continue struggling with health care costs, housing affordability and financial insecurity.
3. Yes. Congress must exercise stronger oversight regarding any potential military escalation involving Iran. Decisions involving military force carry enormous consequences for American service members, taxpayers, energy markets, and global stability. I believe Congress should reclaim its constitutional role in authorizing military action and ensuring transparency from the executive branch. The United States should prioritize diplomacy, regional stability, and congressional accountability instead of drifting into another prolonged conflict in the Middle East without clear public debate or oversight.
Daniel Miller
Hello, my name is Daniel Miller and I am running for U.S Congress because I am concerned about the directions that California and the country are going. Tax control is important. California is the highest-taxed state in the union, just behind Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. I am also concerned about property rights, parental rights and water rights, as well as other important issues. Please join me in my campaign to make California great again. And look up Daniel Miller for Congress.Com.
1. Well, I support legal immigration, not illegal immigration.
2. No answer submitted.
3. Of course Congress needs to be involved and briefed on the situations. But the president is the commander in chief. When I get to Congress I look forward to being briefed in the situations and discussing it. Hopefully, this won’t turn into an all-summer event.
