Gomez's Congressional Seat in Jeopardy as Gonzales-Torres Gains Momentum
Rep. Jimmy Gomez's five-term tenure in California's 34th Congressional District is facing a major challenge from progressive Democrat and challenger Angela Gonzales-Torres.
Gomez has been embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of sexual assault, stemming from an extramarital affair with a staffer of former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned his seat in Congress amid multiple accounts of sexual harassment.
Since June, Gomez's advantage over Gonzales-Torres had evaporated in the contest to serve Eastside and Northeast L.A. constituents. In August 2025, Gonzales-Torres joined a protest outside Home Depot in Cypress Park, calling for a boycott of the retail chain due to warrantless ambushes by armed, masked federal agents on customers and day laborers.
Gonzales-Torres earned the endorsement of East Area Progressive Democrats (EAPD) with 91 percent of the vote in August 2026, while Gomez received just one vote. The House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a joint statement with other officials regarding the accusations against Gomez, calling them 'serious and disturbing'.
Grassroots Democrats signed a petition to retract the state Democratic Party's endorsement of Gomez, which was eventually renounced by the L.A. County Young Democrats, an establishment entity that typically aligns with party insiders.