Carbajal’s record, and what it has meant here.
Five things you can check yourself. Every source is his own: his votes, his filings, his words, his website.
Carbajalvs.Bob Smith
22 years in office. What’s the record?
| The record | CarbajalIncumbent | Bob SmithRetired Navy Commander |
|---|---|---|
| In office | ||
| Years in elected officeLess is better | Carbajal
22
County supervisor, then Congress
|
Bob Smith
0
First run for office
|
| Bills written that never got a voteLess is better | Carbajal
115
Of 127 introduced
|
Bob Smith
0
Nothing left in a drawer
|
| Money from political committeesLess is better | Carbajal
$4,025,858
Six cycles, reported to the FEC
|
Bob Smith
$0
No PAC money
|
| Ban on members of Congress trading stockYes is better | Carbajal
Voted no
Bundled with voter ID. Passed 232 to 198 without him
|
Bob Smith
Yes
A clean, standalone ban
|
| Answered the debate challengeYes is better | Carbajal
No
Answer asked for by Sept 8
|
Bob Smith
Asked
|
| Bills authored into standalone lawMore is better | Carbajal
1
Renamed a post office in Santa Maria. H.R. 7158, signed Jan 4, 2025
|
Bob Smith
Not yet
Not yet in office. Level III certified in program management and systems engineering
|
| In service | ||
| Military serviceMore is better | Carbajal
8
Years, Marine Corps Reserve. Mobilized stateside in 1991
|
Bob Smith
26
Years of active duty, U.S. Navy
|
| Days deployedMore is better | Carbajal
0
His own bio lists only a stateside mobilization
|
Bob Smith
900+
Combat veteran
|
| Pentagon top-tier programs ledMore is better | Carbajal
0
|
Bob Smith
2
ACAT ID, the highest tier. Program manager and lead integrator
|
| Rows won | Carbajal1
|
Bob Smith8
|
A filled mark shows who wins the row.
Sources: congress.gov; House Clerk roll call 280; FEC filings to June 30, 2026; Center for Effective Lawmaking; DoDI 5000.85; Defense Acquisition University; history.house.gov; saludcarbajal.com.
Carbajal voted against banning members of Congress from trading stocks.
Carbajal says the bill was packaged with something he could not support. Two hundred and thirty two members voted for it anyway. 232 members still found a way to vote yes.
Bob supports a clean standalone ban and will vote for it in any vehicle.
Stop Insider Trading Act
Six cycles of PAC and other political committee contributions
From his own FEC filings. Each bar is one cycle, on the same scale. Six cycles for him. This is Bob’s first.
“When I vote, I want to answer to exactly one group of people: the ones who live here.”
Carbajal is not describing a problem he inherited.
He is describing the one that got this way while he held the seat, and he is the one who says it got this way.
“For many Central Coast families, housing is their biggest monthly expense. Whether they’re renting or buying, housing costs have gotten out-of-control.”
Families here did not need to be told housing costs are out of control. They write the check every month. What they have not been given is a result.
This seat has had the same answer since January 2017.
Nothing about that is a personal failing. It is simply a long time to hold one seat, and long enough that a voter is entitled to compare the record against the promises.
A different kind of resume
Margins here are thin
CD-24 runs from San Luis Obispo County through Santa Barbara County into Ventura County. It is a district of farmworkers and engineers, students and retirees, small business owners and service members.
Districts like this are decided by a few thousand voters who decide whether to turn out. That is the entire election, and it is why one conversation with a neighbor matters more than any advertisement.
Pick one way to help today and we will take it from there.
Every claim on this page has a page behind it.
Paid for by Bob Smith for Congress.