Election Day, Nov 3 6 daysSenate D 85%House D 97%Governors D 86%Forecast updated Oct 28
2026 forecast · California 21st

Jim Costa is all but certain to win California's 21st District.

Jim Costa vs Kyle Kirkland. The model has Costa ahead by 21.7 points, winning 100 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Safe DModel D +21.7Updated October 28, 2026
Jim Costa
Democrat
60.9%
154,865 projected votes
Kyle Kirkland
Republican
39.1%
99,638 projected votes
100%Costa
0%Kirkland
Costa all but certainEach square is one simulated election night, Costa wins about 100 of 100
RatingSafe D100% chance for Costa
Model marginD +21.7No polls in the race
80 percent rangeD +29.3 to D +13.72,000 simulations
Projected votes254,503Costa 60.8%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

California districts

52 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Jim CostaDemocrat · 100% to win
60.9%
Kyle KirklandRepublican · 0% to win
39.1%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

254,503 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Jim Costa D154,86560.8%
Kyle Kirkland R99,63839.2%
Total254,503100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%100% Costa0% Kirkland16 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The California governor polling average
25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%JunJulAugSepOct55.7Becerra35.6Hilton
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
Manhattan InstituteOct 1 · 1,000 LV · NR19%Becerra +19.0
McLaughlin & Associates (R)Oct 20 · 800 LV · B18%Becerra +16.0
UC Berkeley Citrin Center/TrueDot/PoliticoOct 14 · 909 LV · B17%Becerra +20.0
Emerson CollegeOct 19 · 1,000 LV · Gold11%Becerra +27.0
SurveyUSAOct 24 · 799 LV · C+8.4%Becerra +22.0
PPICSep 10 · 1,103 LV · NR6.4%Becerra +22.0
Every other poll together: 21%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageNo polls

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Costa +21.7
Chance of winning
Jim Costa100%
Kyle Kirkland0%
Simulated vote
Jim Costa60.9%
Kyle Kirkland39.1%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanR +6.0
FundamentalsD +22.1
With pollsD +21.7

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +26R +26Partisan leanthe state's baselineR +6.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +22.1With pollsno pollsD +21.7
On Point on YouTubeThe California House race, explained on YouTubeForecast breakdowns, the polls and election night coverage on the On Point channel.Subscribe
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.