Rep. Julia Brownley announces she will not seek reelection
Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley, who has represented parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties for more than a decade, announced Thursday that she will not seek reelection.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve our community and our country. Every step of this journey has been shaped by the people I represent, their resilience, their determination, and their belief that government can and should work for the common good,” Brownley said, praising his efforts to expand access to healthcare, support veterans, combat climate change and address essential services, among other policy priorities. “We… have never lost sight of the simple truth that public service is about helping people when they need help most.”
Brownley, 73, did not say why he chose not to seek reelection, but he became one of 40 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives who announced in November that they would not seek reelection. Other Californians not seeking re-election are Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), who is running for governor.
Brownley served on the Malibu-Santa Monica Unified School District board of education and the state Assembly before successfully running for Congress in 2012. At the time, the district was almost evenly split between Democratic and Republican voters. But in the years since then, the region has become more liberal.
In 2024, when the 26th Congressional District includes Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Westlake Village and part of San Buenaventura, the congressman was re-elected with 56.6% of the vote against GOP businessman Michael Koslow, who received 43.4% of the votes cast. At that time, 42.5 percent of the county’s voter registration was Democratic, 29.6 percent was Republican and 20.4 percent was independent.
The district turned more Democratic following the passage of Proposition 50, a redrawing of congressional maps that California voters approved in November to counter President Trump’s efforts to increase the number of Republicans elected to Congress from GOP-led states. While Simi Valley was removed from the region, Hidden Hills, Palmdale, parts of Lancaster, and nearby high desert areas were added to the region.
Because Republican candidates, including Koslow, have already announced plans to challenge Brownley this year. On Thursday, Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for Brownley’s seat, hours after the congresswoman announced she would not seek re-election.
