Democratic incumbent Jim Costa in lead to represent Fresno, Tulare in Congress
Incumbent Rep. Jim Costa emerged Tuesday night with a solid lead to defend his congressional seat representing parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.
As of 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, Costa (D-Fresno) secured 43.7% of the vote, with about 42,864 of votes counted, according to California Secretary of State records.
Republican businessman Kyle Kirkland secured a solid second place, with 27.2% of the vote, while Republican veteran Lorenzo Rios had 15.8%.
Costa is all but certain to advance to the November general election in California’s 21st Congressional District.
Costa, a third-generation Central Valley farmer and descendant of Portuguese immigrants, has served in Congress since 2005. He currently sits on the House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Costa, 74, has worked to secure funding for Central Valley water access, infrastructure, health care projects and has long championed California’s High-Speed Rail project.
He made headlines last month after the Washington D.C.-based digital outlet NOTUS reported that he was under investigation in early 2023 after a former House Democratic staffer filed an ethics complaint alleging that he made inappropriate advances to two congressional interns. Costa’s office said he fully cooperated with the investigation; the complaint was dismissed citing a lack of evidence.
Kirkland, a self-described political outsider, is the owner of Fresno’s Club One Casino and president of the California Gaming Association. Rios is CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. He served more than two decades in the Army and Marines Corps and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, earning two Bronze Stars.
Other candidates in the race are labor organizer Lourin Hubbard, a Democrat; and Eric Garcia, a Marine Corps veteran and Democrat. Lance Kruse, a candidate with no party preference.
The top two candidates will face a runoff in the general elections on November 3.
Where is the 21st Congressional District?
Congressional District 21 encompasses parts of Fresno and Tulare counties. In Fresno County, this district includes the cities of Fresno, Fowler, Kingsburg, Orange Cove, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger and Selma. In Tulare County, it includes Cutler, Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Ivanhoe, Orosi, Visalia and Woodlake.
Of the district’s 356,071 registered voters, 145,389, or 40.83%, are Democrats as of Dec. 30, 2025. Republicans make up 97,792, or 27.46%, of the district’s registered voters, according to California Secretary of State data.
