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U.S. House · California's 21st Congressional District

Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties in the central San Joaquin Valley.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Jim Costa, projected winner

CandidateVotesShare
Jim Costa62,61562.7%
Kyle Kirkland37,31637.3%

About 59% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • California redrew its congressional district lines for the 2026 elections under Proposition 50, a mid-decade redistricting measure voters approved in a November 2025 special election.[1]
  • In the June 2, 2026 top-two primary, Jim Costa won 42.2% of the vote (43,461 votes) and Kyle Kirkland won 26.3% (27,076 votes), advancing them both to the November general election.[2]

On the November 3 ballot · 2 candidates

Jim CostaDINCUMBENTPROJECTED WINNERU.S. Representative (since 2005, under various district numbers)Full profile →Kyle KirklandRFull profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Protect legal access to abortion

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[40][41][42]

    Voted yes on Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755, 2021-09-24). Voted yes on Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 (H.R. 8296, 2022-07-15). Voted no on Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36, 2017-10-03), which would have banned most abortions after 20 weeks.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Stricter gun laws

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[35][36][37][38]

    Voted yes on Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8, 2019-02-27), which would have required background checks on most private gun sales. Voted yes on Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808, 2022-07-29), which would have banned the sale of many semiautomatic assault weapons. Voted yes on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938, 2022-06-24), which expanded background checks for buyers under 21 and funded state red-flag programs. Voted no on Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38, 2017-12-06), which would have required states to honor other states' concealed-carry permits.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

    Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted no on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations. Voted no on Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2, 2023-05-11). Voted yes on American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6, 2019-06-04; 2021-03-18).

  • Kyle Kirkland
    Supports[3]

    Supports securing the border and enforcing immigration law, saying the country should not tolerate 'free-for-all' border policies.

Raise taxes on high earners or corporations

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[19][20][21][31][30]

    Voted no on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03; 2017-12-20), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent. Voted yes on Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376, 2022-08-12), which added a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a stock-buyback excise tax.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Expand public health coverage

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[19][20][21][26][27][28]

    Voted no on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted yes on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies. Voted yes on Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590, 2010-03-21). Voted no on American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628, 2017-05-04), which would have capped federal Medicaid funding and ended enhanced funding for the Medicaid expansion.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[19][20][21][29][30]

    Voted no on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits. Voted yes on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19; 2022-08-12), which would have funded clean-energy tax credits.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Increase police funding and staffing

  • Jim Costa
    —
  • Kyle Kirkland
    In their own words[10]
    “Back the blue, support first responders, and end soft-on-crime policies that put families at risk.”

    Under 'Safe Communities' on his campaign website

Raise the minimum wage

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[39]

    Voted yes on Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582, 2019-07-18).

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Broad tariffs on imported goods

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[34]

    Voted yes on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Universal, publicly funded child care

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[29]

    Voted yes on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19), which would have funded universal pre-K and child-care subsidies.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[25]

    Voted no on SAVE Act (H.R. 22, 2025-04-10).

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad

  • Jim Costa
    Recorded votes[32][33]

    Voted yes on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted yes on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.

  • Kyle Kirkland
    —

Research notes & limits

Neither candidate has completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey; Kirkland's positions are drawn from his 2024 survey answers (for the adjoining 20th District race he ran in that year), which may not reflect any 2026 platform changes. Jim Costa's positions and priorities are drawn from his official House issues pages (costa.house.gov/issues), checked 2026-09-25. Federal key votes and FEC totals for the incumbent are added separately by script. Biographies were expanded in October 2026; Kyle Kirkland's own 2024 Ballotpedia survey is the main source for his early life, and sources differ slightly on his Steinway tenure (Ballotpedia says 1993-2011, his survey and the San Joaquin Valley Sun say 17 years), so only the 17-year figure is used.

Sources · 46

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Jim Costa · Ballotpedia Reference
  3. 3.Kyle Kirkland — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Healthcare · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Candidate's own words
  5. 5.Immigration · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Candidate's own words
  6. 6.Energy & Environment · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Candidate's own words
  7. 7.Economy · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Candidate's own words
  8. 8.Roll Call 420 — On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment: H.R. 5376, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · 2022-08-12 Official record
  9. 9.Rep. Costa Reacts to Supreme Courts Ruling on President Trump's Unlawful Tariffs · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Candidate's own words
  10. 10.Kyle Kirkland for Congress · Kirkland for Congress · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
  11. 11.Jim Costa · Ballotpedia Reference
  12. 12.Committees and Caucuses | Congressman Jim Costa · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Official record
  13. 13.Biography | Congressman Jim Costa · Office of Rep. Jim Costa Official record
  14. 14.Jim Costa · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  15. 15.California 21st election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  16. 16.H.R. 3115, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025 (Assault Weapons Ban of 2025) — sponsors and cosponsors · Congress.gov Official record
  17. 17.H.R. 12, the Women's Health Protection Act of 2025 (Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025) — sponsors and cosponsors · Congress.gov Official record
  18. 18.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  19. 19.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  20. 20.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  21. 21.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  22. 22.Roll call: Secure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2023-05-11 Official record
  23. 23.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-06-04 Official record
  24. 24.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-03-18 Official record
  25. 25.Roll call: SAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-04-10 Official record
  26. 26.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  27. 27.Roll call: Affordable Care Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2010-03-21 Official record
  28. 28.Roll call: American Health Care Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-05-04 Official record
  29. 29.Roll call: Build Back Better Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-11-19 Official record
  30. 30.Roll call: Inflation Reduction Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-08-12 Official record
  31. 31.Roll call: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-12-20 Official record
  32. 32.Roll call: War Powers Resolution on Venezuela · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-12-17 Official record
  33. 33.Roll call: War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-06-03 Official record
  34. 34.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
  35. 35.Roll call: Bipartisan Background Checks Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-02-27 Official record
  36. 36.Roll call: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-29 Official record
  37. 37.Roll call: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-06-24 Official record
  38. 38.Roll call: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-12-06 Official record
  39. 39.Roll call: Raise the Wage Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-07-18 Official record
  40. 40.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-09-24 Official record
  41. 41.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-15 Official record
  42. 42.Roll call: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-10-03 Official record
  43. 43.Kyle Kirkland · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
  44. 44.Club One owner Kyle Kirkland launches campaign for Congress · The San Joaquin Valley Sun News report
  45. 45.Kyle Kirkland for Congress · Kyle Kirkland for Congress Candidate's own words
  46. 46.U.S. House · California's 21st Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report