Jim Costa, the Democratic incumbent, is running for an eleventh term representing California’s 21st Congressional District in November 2026 against Republican challenger Kyle Kirkland, the owner of Club One Casino in Fresno. As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and Ranking Member of its Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee, Costa has campaigned on his role in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, more than $2 million in water and rural development funding he secured for San Joaquin Valley projects, and affordability concerns including health care costs and declining farm prices amid rising input costs. His campaign follows a 2023 House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior toward congressional interns, which the committee dismissed citing insufficient evidence. Kirkland has been endorsed by Assemblymember David Tangipa, County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, and the Tulare County Sheriff.
