Ten candidates are running in the top-two primary in California’s 31st Congressional District

By

David Luchs

Ten candidates are running in the top-two primary for California’s 31st Congressional District on March 5, 2024. Five lead in endorsements, media attention, and fundraising: Bob Archuleta (D), Gil Cisneros (D), Gregory Hafif (D), Mary Ann Lutz (D), and Susan Rubio (D). Four of the five are elected officials.

Incumbent Grace Napolitano (D) is not running for re-election, leaving the district open for the first time since 1998.

Archuleta is running with Napolitano’s endorsement and is a state senator and former Pico Rivera city councilor. He earlier served as a police officer and in the U.S. Army. As of Jan. 5, 2024, Archuleta had raised $440,000, including $225,000 in self-funding.

Cisneros represented the 39th District in the U.S. House for a single term before losing re-election in 2020. He has also served in the U.S. Department of Defense as a Joe Biden (D) appointee and, earlier, in the U.S. Navy. As of Jan. 5, 2024, he had raised $610,000, including $500,000 in self-funding.

Hafif is an attorney and the president of a nonprofit foundation. As of Jan. 5, 2024, Hafif had raised $720,000, including $500,000 in self-funding.

Lutz is a former Monrovia mayor and city councilor. She owns a small business providing electronic court reporting services and earlier worked as an advisor to Napolitano. As of Jan. 5, 2024, Lutz had raised $590,000, including $500,000 in self-funding.

Rubio is a state senator and former Baldwin Park city councilor and city clerk who earlier worked as a schoolteacher. As of Jan. 5, 2024, Rubio had raised $320,000.

Also running in the primary are Pedro Casas (R), Kurt Jose (D), Erskine Levi (No party preference), Y. Marie Manvel (No party preference), and Daniel Martinez (R). The top two finishers, regardless of partisan affiliation, will advance to the general election.

As of Jan. 5, 2024, The Cook Political Report, Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan J. Gonzales each rated the general election Solid/Safe Democratic. In 2022, Napolitano defeated Martinez 59.5%-40.5%.