2026 forecast · California 5th

Tom McClintock is very likely to win California's 5th District.

Michael Masuda vs Tom McClintock. The model has McClintock ahead by 9.5 points, winning 93 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Likely RModel R +9.5Updated October 22, 2026
Michael Masuda
Democrat
45.3%
111,107 projected votes
Tom McClintock
Republican
54.8%
134,432 projected votes
93%McClintock
7%Masuda
McClintock very likelyEach square is one simulated election night, McClintock wins about 93 of 100
RatingLikely R93% chance for McClintock
Model marginR +9.5No polls in the race
80 percent rangeR +1.4 to R +18.12,000 simulations
Projected votes245,539McClintock 54.7%

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

Michael MasudaDemocrat · 7% to win
45.3%
Tom McClintockRepublican · 93% to win
54.8%

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

245,539 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Tom McClintock R134,43254.7%
Michael Masuda D111,10745.3%
Total245,539100%

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%7% Masuda93% McClintock14 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
McClintock +9.5
Chance of winning
Michael Masuda7%
Tom McClintock93%
Simulated vote
Michael Masuda45.3%
Tom McClintock54.8%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +21.0
FundamentalsR +9.6
With pollsR +10.8
Early vote turnoutD +1.3
With early voteR +9.5

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 +25R +25Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +21.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +9.6With pollsno pollsR +10.8With early voteturnout so farR +9.5
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.