California · U.S. House · District 23 · 2026

California District 23 House race

General election in 96 days · Nov 3, 2026

The read · California District 23 House race

Jay Obernolte has raised more than 8 times the next candidate.

Republican Jay Obernolte has raised about $1.4M, more than 8 times any rival.

Tessa Hodge reports 88% of campaign money from individuals.

$519K in itemized outside money is on file, led by AMERICAN MISSION.

FEC filings, 2026 cycle. Money raised is net of transfers between a candidate's own committees.

Every candidate on file

Ranked by money raised. Each row shows the campaign money mix and a plain-English read.

Jay Obernolte

RIncumbent

R · incumbent

Incumbent leans on PAC money. 62% from PACs and 36% from individuals.

36% individuals62% PACs2% other

$1.4M

raised

Karen Matthews

I · challenger

84% from individuals, 3% from PACs, and 13% from other sources.

84% individuals3% PACs13% other

$175K

raised

Tessa Hodge

D · challenger

Small-donor heavy. 88% from individuals and 0% from PACs.

88% individuals0% PACs12% other

$79K

raised

Paul Chakalian

D · challenger

76% from individuals, 1% from PACs, and 23% from other sources.

76% individuals1% PACs23% other

$73K

raised

Charles Wallis

D · challenger

78% from individuals, 0% from PACs, and 22% from other sources.

78% individuals0% PACs22% other

$64K

raised

Alexis Claiborne

D · challenger

Small-donor heavy. 95% from individuals and 0% from PACs.

95% individuals0% PACs5% other

$12K

raised

Where the money came from

$519K in itemized outside money is on file for this cycle. Candidate fundraising is shown separately below.

Ideological / Leadership$519K

Small donors & unclassified$117K

Tech & Telecom$64K

Energy & Utilities$35K

Banking & Financial$34K

Real Estate & Construction$15K

Health & Pharma$8K

Defense & Aerospace$8K

Biggest itemized outside spenders

AMERICAN MISSION · super pac$519K
ANTHROPIC · company$21K
LIGHTHOUSE · company$21K
ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ · company$14K
ESRI · company$14K
INNOVATIVE FEDERAL STRATEGIES · company$12K
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE · pac$10K
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION FEDERAL PAC · pac$10K

PACs vs the people

This split is from the candidates' own reported fundraising.

48%46%

48% PACs46% individuals6% other

The incumbent's record

Jay Obernolte is the linked incumbent for this race.

Net worth (2024)

$98M

$45M - $150M. up $5.7M since 2021.

Stock trades

None on file

No disclosed individual stock transactions.

Committees

Current full committee seats on file.

Where they sit

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
House Committee on the Budget
House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Who funds them

This is the incumbent's own funding by donor sector for the cycle.

Ideological / Leadership$519K

Small donors & unclassified$117K

Tech & Telecom$64K

Energy & Utilities$35K

Banking & Financial$34K

Real Estate & Construction$15K

Full profile: net worth, donors, trades, and votes ->

The tale of the tape

Money, side by side. Green marks the leader on each line.

Jay Obernolte R · incumbent	vs	KM Karen Matthews I · challenger
$1.4M	Raised	$175K
$1.6M	Cash on hand	$0
62%	From PACs	3%
36%	From individuals	84%
Ideological / Leadership	Top donor sector	Too few to rank
Yes	Incumbent	No