U.S. House · California's 33rd District
Stephanie Vargas
CandidateR
- Race
- U.S. House · California's 33rd District
- Result
- Pete Aguilar, projected winner
- Opponent
- Pete Aguilar (D)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did0 statements · 0 votes
Stephanie Vargas, a Republican who works in the Colton city clerk's office, lost the November 3, 2026 election for California's 33rd Congressional District to Pete Aguilar. A longtime San Bernardino County resident, she describes herself as a Christian.[1][2][3][4][5]
Biography
Stephanie Vargas, a Republican who works in the Colton city clerk's office, lost the November 3, 2026 election for California's 33rd Congressional District to Pete Aguilar. A longtime San Bernardino County resident, she describes herself as a Christian.[1][2][3][4][5]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Stephanie Vargas says she grew up in San Bernardino and has lived in District 33 her whole life.[3] According to her iVoterGuide profile, she earned an associate degree in business administration and management from San Bernardino Valley Community College and a certificate through UC Riverside Extension.[4] Her early work history on that profile includes service as a San Bernardino Police Department police cadet (2010-2013) and Police Explorer (2009-2012), general manager of a Menchie's in Fontana (2014-2016), and community service assistant for the City of Fontana (2016-2018).[4]
Vargas has worked for the City of Colton since 2018, according to iVoterGuide, first as an administrative assistant (2018-2021), then as deputy city clerk (2021-2023), acting city clerk (2023-2024) and chief deputy city clerk (2024-2026).[4] A voter guide describes her as a chief deputy clerk.[3] She lists membership in the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and the California Municipal Clerks Association, and board service at Springs Charter School from 2022 to 2026.[4]
This was Vargas's first run for office; iVoterGuide lists no prior political offices held or sought.[4] She placed second in the June 2, 2026 nonpartisan primary with 17.5% of the vote (20,952 votes), and the Republican Party of San Bernardino County has endorsed her.[2][4] During the campaign, she ran on cost of living, public safety and veterans services.[1][2][3][4] She received 31.7% of the vote to Pete Aguilar's 68.3%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[5]
In their own words
Priorities
- Lists supporting law enforcement and fire service personnel, standing up for parental rights, and lowering the cost of living and 'fixing the housing crisis' with tax relief for families and businesses as her three key campaign messages.[6]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/stephanie-vargas
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Sources cited in this profile
- 1.United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Stephanie Vargas · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
- 3.Meet the Candidates Running in California's 33rd Congressional District · Community Forward Redlands Reference
- 4.Voter Guide Profile for CA U.S. Rep., Dist. 33 candidate - Stephanie M. Vargas · iVoterGuide Reference
- 5.U.S. House · California's 33rd District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 6.Stephanie Vargas · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words