2026 forecast · California 23rd

Jay Obernolte is very likely to win California's 23rd District.

Tessa Lynn Hodge vs Jay Obernolte. The model has Obernolte ahead by 9.1 points, winning 91 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Likely RModel R +9.1Updated October 22, 2026
Tessa Lynn Hodge
Democrat
45.5%
111,998 projected votes
Jay Obernolte
Republican
54.5%
134,346 projected votes
91%Obernolte
9%Hodge
Obernolte very likelyEach square is one simulated election night, Obernolte wins about 91 of 100
RatingLikely R91% chance for Obernolte
Model marginR +9.1No polls in the race
80 percent rangeR +0.5 to R +17.72,000 simulations
Projected votes246,344Obernolte 54.5%

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

Tessa Lynn HodgeDemocrat · 9% to win
45.5%
Jay ObernolteRepublican · 91% to win
54.5%

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

246,344 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Jay Obernolte R134,34654.5%
Tessa Lynn Hodge D111,99845.5%
Total246,344100%

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%9% Hodge91% Obernolte14 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%JunJulAugSepOct54.7Becerra36.0Hilton
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 · NR16%Becerra +19.0
PPICSep 10 · 1,103 LV · NR16%Becerra +22.0
Independent Voter ProjectOct 2 · 2,906 LV · NR15%Becerra +10.0
Emerson CollegeOct 19 · 1,000 LV · Gold14%Becerra +27.0
Independent Voter ProjectSep 28 · 2,906 LV · NR13%Becerra +10.0
UC Berkeley Citrin Center/TrueDot/PoliticoSep 14 · 1,983 LV · B11%Becerra +18.0
Every other poll together: 15%

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
Obernolte +9.1
Chance of winning
Tessa Lynn Hodge9%
Jay Obernolte91%
Simulated vote
Tessa Lynn Hodge45.5%
Jay Obernolte54.5%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +19.0
FundamentalsR +9.2
With pollsR +10.4
Early vote turnoutD +1.3
With early voteR +9.1

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in California, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

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

D +23R +23Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +19.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +9.2With pollsno pollsR +10.4With early voteturnout so farR +9.1
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.