Jim Polsgrove, a Republican, is running for California’s 31st Assembly District in November 2026 against Democratic incumbent Annalisa Perea, after finishing second in a June 2026 primary field split between Perea and a second Democratic candidate. A 69-year-old lifelong Fresno resident, Polsgrove spent 36 years in public works, 31 of them with the City of Fresno rising to supervising engineering technician overseeing right-of-way and special districts, and five more with Fresno County’s Public Works Department.
Polsgrove has campaigned on raising Medi-Cal hospital reimbursement rates or restricting Medi-Cal eligibility to U.S. citizens, repealing California’s sanctuary-state law, favoring rehabilitative services over “housing first” approaches to homelessness, opposing billionaire tax proposals and mileage-based road taxes, supporting voter ID requirements, and calling the state’s high-speed rail project “one of the biggest jokes” and a “bottomless pit.” He was the most poorly funded candidate in the race, raising about $32,000 including a personal loan, and has been endorsed by U.S. Representatives Vince Fong and David Valadao.
