Re-elect Congressional Representative TJ Cox to maintain progressive leadership in CA-21.

About the Position

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives. There is no term limit for this position.  

About the District

California's 21st Congressional District includes parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties. Republicans held this district until 2018, when TJ Cox won and flipped CA-21 from red to blue. Until the 2010 redistricting, this seat was held by Republican Devin Nunes for eight years. In recent federal and state elections, this district has voted blue, with 55.2 percent of the vote going to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and 52.1 percent of the vote going to Gavin Newsom in 2018.

About the Race

In the primary, Democrat incumbent Representative TJ Cox trailed Republican challenger David Valadao by a margin of 11 percent. Valadao held this seat from 2012 until Rep. Cox’s victory in 2018. Rep. Cox’s campaign is not funded by corporate PAC money, but it has not taken pledges to refuse police money or fossil fuel money. He has not accepted any donations from police-adjacent organizations, but is funded by several major airlines, which are substantial users of fossil fuels. Valadao’s campaign has not pledged to refuse fossil fuel, police, or corporate PAC money, and is backed by Koch Industries, Petroleum Marketer’s Association, and several Republican leadership PACs.

About the Candidate

Rep. Cox, a former engineer and small businessman, is from Walnut Creek, CA. According to campaign materials, Rep. Cox is running for re-election to continue pushing for community development, job creation, and local opportunities for his constituents.

Rep. Cox’s priorities for CA-21 this year have included health research, TRIO funding to support education initiatives for underserved students, and agricultural research and technology. He currently sits on two committees: Natural Resources (ranks 8th), and Agriculture (ranks 12th). This year, Rep. Cox has voted 100 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi and 92 percent of the time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In contrast to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Cox voted for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, in favor of the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, and for making emergency supplemental appropriations. Rep. Cox has sponsored 21 bills about the armed forces and veterans’ support, clean water, and education. Of those bills, the majority are in committee or have been referred to committee.  

Rep. Cox is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, including End Citizens United, Planned Parenthood, and Equality California. According to our analysis, Rep. Cox is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.