Key Sacramento-region and California midterm races to watch on Election Day

The Abridged version:

• Abridged by PBS KVIE is covering the races most important to the Sacramento region, including California’s local congressional districts, state assembly and senate contests, a competitive Sacramento County supervisor battle and noteworthy city council races in the four-county area.
• Election Day polls across the Sacramento region are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. You can cast your ballot in person as long as you’re in line before polls close.
• Follow Abridged and our reporters for election news and results through Election Day and night.

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Abridged by PBS KVIE has you covered for the Nov. 3 election, from live updates on Election Day to early results through election night.

We’ve highlighted the most important local and statewide races, from testy battles for redrawn congressional districts to hot-topic city council races across the four-county Sacramento region.

Looking to catch up on who’s who before you vote? Check out the Abridged 2026 voter guide, where you can see and learn all about who’s on your individual ballot. For the procrastinators among us, our last-minute guide to the election has you covered.

Read on for a rundown of races most important to the Sacramento region.

California governor

With Gov. Gavin Newsom termed out, the race to succeed him features Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton.

Becerra, a Democrat with decades of experience in public service, stands in contrast to Hilton, a Republican, former Fox News host and political adviser endorsed by President Donald Trump.

See where Becerra and Hilton stand on climate, healthcare, artificial intelligence, water management and homelessness.

U.S. House California District 7

The race for California’s 7th Congressional District features Rep. Doris Matsui, a Democrat and longtime member of Congress, and Mai Vang, a Sacramento City Council member running on progressive platforms considered further left than her incumbent opponent.

The candidates have traded barbs and shots across the bow, from face-to-face remarks during contentious forums to campaign battles criticizing the stances and affiliations of each side.

Matsui called for local women officials to pull their support for Vang due to the latter’s livestream appearance with controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. Vang appeared beside Piker, who canvassed on Vang’s behalf, in Sacramento a week before the election.

U.S. House California District 6

What began as a crowded primary field to represent Congressional District 6 has resulted in an apparently close head-to-head contest between Rep. Kevin Kiley and Dr. Richard Pan.

Kiley, who switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent, chose to run for District 6 after the redrawn congressional maps approved through Proposition 50 dramatically recast the makeup of District 3, which he currently represents.

Pan, a Democrat and former state senator, leans on his experience in public health and with the state Legislature. He and Kiley discussed their stances on issues such as healthcare and immigration on KVIE’s Studio Sacramento.

California Assembly and Senate

A number of seats in the state Assembly and Senate are likely to change hands after Election Day, and several in the Sacramento area are at stake.

Find which state lawmakers, current and hopeful, are on your ballot by searching your address in the Abridged 2026 voter guide.

Sacramento County supervisor — District 1

Flojaune “Flo” Cofer and Eric Guerra emerged from the June election as the top two candidates for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 1, forcing a runoff as neither candidate cleared the 50% threshold required to win the race outright.

Cofer, a public health expert who narrowly lost the race for Sacramento mayor in 2024, held a steady lead over Guerra, a Sacramento City Council member, in June. The District 1 term is open, as longtime supervisor Phil Serna, who has endorsed Guerra, chose not to run for reelection.

Sacramento region city council races

This election will decide city council races throughout the four-county area, including several that have garnered significant local interest.

In Rancho Cordova, longtime Councilmember Linda Budge faces two challengers — Tegan Mauldin and Lilia Darbinyan — for the council’s District 5 seat. Budge, a council member since 2006, seeks her seventh term. Meanwhile, Mauldin and Darbinyan argue now is the time for a younger generation to take on city leadership.

The Lincoln City Council has a contentious race brewing, as Christine Colvin Treshchuk challenges Councilmember Holly Andreatta, who Lincoln police investigated after a confrontation in which the incumbent claims no wrongdoing.

A race for the Roseville City Council drew controversy when challenger David Nelson accused city officials of sinking city resources into debunking his claims in support of his opponent, Anne Carpenter, who most current council members have endorsed.

Voters in Roseville are also tasked with deciding whether to approve pay raises that would quadruple the monthly pay for City Council members.

Measure W in Davis — Willowgrove

Davis voters shot down plans for a housing development at the polls in June. But a new ballot measure, pitching the same voter base on a different housing plan, appears to have a better chance of approval.

Here’s what Davis residents and voters should know about Measure W and its plans to develop Willowgrove, which would include building more than 1,200 homes.