Seven candidates vie for Congress, including incumbent Jimmy Panetta.

The race for the 19th District congressional seat, held since 2017 by Rep. Jimmy Panetta, is a packed one. Six candidates – two Democrats, two Republicans, a Libertarian and two with no party affiliation – are competing against the incumbent.

Most agree that the number-one issue in the district and beyond is the affordability crisis, including Libertarian candidate Lars Mapstead of Aptos, who says he is running to be a U.S. representative because “people in this district need more choices and better representation.”

Mapstead was born in Carmel and raised in Big Sur, where he says he grew up in a goat barn with no electricity.

“I’ve waited tables, built businesses, created jobs and solved real problems,” Mapstead says. “I was also a Libertarian presidential candidate in 2024. I’m not a career politician, and I’m taking zero donations because I don’t want to be bought by lobbyists or special interests.”

Santa Cruz County resident and Republican candidate Peter Verbica says he is running because “our district deserves practical, results-oriented leadership focused on affordability, economic opportunity and restoring trust in our institutions.”

Verbica is a certified financial manager and author of Hard Won Cowboy Wisdom.

“My approach is to reduce unnecessary cost drivers by reevaluating these policies, eliminating mandates that do not produce meaningful results, and focusing on practical solutions that balance environmental stewardship with economic reality,” Verbica says. “Lowering energy costs, encouraging investment, and removing barriers to growth will help restore affordability without sacrificing reliability.”

Santa Cruz-based software engineer and Democrat Sean Dougherty pledges to only take “clean money” for his campaign.

“Beyond the clean money pledge, I think my years of experience as a software engineer, including several years of both industrial and academic work on AI, uniquely qualify me to navigate the emerging dominance of AI in our economy and personal lives,” Dougherty says. “I will not be easily bamboozled by the AI lobbyists, and I will apply my populist ideology to protect the interests of the people of this district over those of the AI industry.”

Thomas Coxe is a landscape architect based in Santa Cruz County with no party affiliation, whose goals, if elected, would be “to support the schools, fund our infrastructure improvement projects and help reduce or at least stabilize the cost of living on the Central Coast.

“In this era of extreme partisan division and narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, a true Independent could have unprecedented sway in passing legislation and electing the speaker of the house,” he says.

Panetta says that reducing the cost of living and supporting communities in the district will be his priorities, among others.

“I will continue my work to pass legislation to increase affordable housing and accessible health care, bolster immigration reform, repeal harmful tariffs, protect our coastline, combat fentanyl trafficking, help our servicemembers and veterans, and more,” Panetta says, noting he has had 24 bills signed into law, including four during the current term.

“This past year, I secured over $15 million for local infrastructure projects and community services needed in our communities. This is in addition to the total of $16 billion in federal investment that I have brought into our district.”

Republican Tuka Gafari of Scotts Valley says his experience working in high tech, as a real estate agent and locomotive engineer qualify him to serve as a U.S. representative.

“I’m a people person who has always helped people when I volunteered in search and rescue,” Gafari says. “So, wanting to help people, having solutions to resolve issues in our community put together is what drives me. Most importantly, I too have a family and protecting our children is key.”

Ana Luz Acevedo-Cabrera, a professor at Hartnell College who lives in Marina, did not respond by press time.