Salud Carbajal, Bob Smith Compete for 24th Congressional District Seat

Santa Barbara voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide whether U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal earns a sixth term representing California's 24th Congressional District, or whether Carpinteria resident Bob Smith, a retired Navy commander running as a no-party-preference candidate, unseats him.

The matchup, detailed in a candidate profile by Noozhawk, presents Central Coast voters with a clear choice: a Democratic incumbent pointing to a decade of legislative deliveries, or a political newcomer pitching himself as a "disrupter" who would serve only a few years and hand off the baton.

The Incumbent: A Record of "Delivered Results"

Carbajal, a Santa Barbara Democrat and former Santa Barbara County supervisor, has held the seat since 2017. A U.S. Marine Corps Reserve veteran, he serves on the House Committees on Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture.

"I've delivered results for the Central Coast," Carbajal told Noozhawk. "I think I have a proven track record that I hope to continue — being a good listener and working hard for the Central Coast for the priorities, needs and challenges that we are facing."

Chief among his stated achievements: the bipartisan infrastructure law, which he said brought roughly $1 billion and 13,000 jobs to infrastructure projects across the region. He also touts his sponsorship of the Childcare Availability and Affordability Act and his support for designating the Chumash Heritage Marine Sanctuary, a yearslong priority for Central Coast environmental and tribal advocates.

If re-elected, Carbajal said his first priority — and Congress's — would be the cost of living. He wants to restore the Affordable Care Act premium tax credit so people can keep their health coverage, and end the war in Iran, which he linked to high gas prices.

"Families are hurting," Carbajal said. "That's the No. 1 thing that Congress needs to work on immediately — to bring down the price of gas, groceries, housing, healthcare."

He also wants to advance legislation he has introduced on affordable childcare, down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and doubling the Pell Grant and financial aid for college students.

The Challenger: An Independent "Disrupter"

Smith, though listed on the ballot as a Republican, announced in September that he had changed his party preference to no party preference — a move he framed as central to his campaign's message.

"It's like our stadium's on fire and it's falling apart, and everybody's arguing with each other whether they have a red or blue jersey on," Smith said. "To me, it's just like how about we just solve some problems?"

Smith grew up in Philadelphia and served as a defense systems engineer in the Navy, rising to commander with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. After returning from deployment in 2010, he earned a master's degree and worked with the Department of Defense — which the Trump administration has renamed the Department of War — developing technology such as radar, ships and missiles for emerging threats.

His affordability platform is notably specific: deploying small modular nuclear reactors on federal property to lower energy costs, fostering regional collaboration to create what he calls a healthy housing ecosystem, and directing the Federal Reserve Board to lower interest rates for first-time homebuyers.

Smith said his first priority in office would be securing federal funding for community projects — a swimming pool and STEM labs for Carpinteria High School, road and infrastructure repairs, fire prevention and mitigation efforts, and additional housing in Lompoc.

"It's time for a disrupter," Smith said. "I do not want to be a career politician. I'm not going to be there forever. I want to go in there for a few years, disrupt this system, get some problems solved and then hopefully turn it over to the next problem-solver."

Where They Align — and Clash — on Immigration

Immigration is a rare area where both candidates have staked out positions with some overlap on protections for people brought to the country as children.

Smith said he supports protections and a citizenship pathway for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and others brought to the United States as children.

"They had no agency. They're stuck in a weird do-loop where they can't apply for a legal pathway, and I think that it's just ethical to put those people on a legal pathway and let them then earn citizenship," Smith said.

Carbajal has called for reforming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending family separations. "We need to address all this terror that ICE is bringing upon our communities and reform ICE and stop the separation of families," he said.

The incumbent has also criticized the Trump administration over its handling of the restart of the Sable Offshore Corp. oil pipeline in Santa Barbara County — a project that has drawn sustained local opposition given the region's history with offshore oil disasters — and has advocated instead for wind energy development off the Central Coast.

What's at Stake for the 805

The 24th District stretches along the Central Coast through Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, communities grappling with some of the nation's steepest housing costs, persistent wildfire risk, and ongoing debates over offshore energy development.

For Santa Barbara residents, the race's practical stakes are concrete: whether the region retains a senior incumbent with committee seats on Armed Services, Transportation and Agriculture — assignments that shape federal spending on local infrastructure, military installations and agriculture — or takes a chance on a challenger promising term-limited, problem-focused service and targeted federal investment in local schools and housing.

Early returns on the candidates' arguments will come quickly: Election Day is Nov. 3. Voters can review additional candidates and ballot measures through the Noozhawk Voter Guide as they make their final decisions in the closing week of the campaign.