CA-17 primary: first place
$13.6K
JUN 6, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleEngineer
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyModerate Democrat
LocationCalifornia
BackgroundEngineer
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Notable personal detailsRitesh Tandon is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in California’s 17th Congressional District in the 2026 cycle. He has previously run for Congress in CA-17 and has described his background as a Silicon Valley engineer and entrepreneur/CEO. He filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 15, 2025 and is associated with the principal campaign committee Tandon for Congress.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports lowering taxes for startup employees, reinstating SALT deductions, reducing property taxes in California, and using tax incentives to encourage wage growth and domestic manufacturing.
Healthcare
The candidate supports increasing affordable healthcare choices through policies that expand the supply of healthcare personnel, services, drugs, and devices and favors smarter delivery approaches rather than large-scale government spending plans. He has criticized large Democratic proposals (described as a $3 trillion plan) and emphasizes market-oriented measures to reduce costs and expand access.
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Immigration & Border
Supports streamlining legal immigration for skilled workers and reducing green card wait times, while endorsing need-based guest worker programs and humane enforcement to prevent visa overstays and unauthorized crossings.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Public records show conflicting statements about Ritesh Tandon’s position on abortion: one profile lists support for “women [sic] choice with no intervention from government,” while candidate questionnaires/profile entries indicate agreement with pro-life positions such as that “human life begins at conception” and that abortion providers should not receive taxpayer funds. The available sources do not present a single consistent stance on abortion and reproductive rights.
Climate & Energy
Supports addressing climate change through technology and innovation, including promoting solar and safe nuclear energy, energy conservation, and policies to encourage cleaner fuels and industrial research. Emphasizes cost-competitive clean energy solutions and cooperation on cleaner fuels internationally.
Public Safety & Guns
The candidate emphasizes increasing neighborhood safety through better policing and more harmonious community–police relations and lists public safety as a campaign priority. Public materials reference “gun safety” in a candidate profile but do not provide detailed positions on specific gun policies (e.g., background checks, assault weapons bans, red flag laws).
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262022
2024
2026
LatestCycle 2022
Cycle 2024
Cycle 2026
Source: FEC
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We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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