Rudy Recile
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 8
Rudy Recile is a retired U.S. Army Major. He served more than 26 years, from 1988 to 2014. His service included logistics work at the Pentagon. He also had postings in Illinois, South Korea, and Washington, D.C. After the military, he was a data manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He held that job from 2014 to 2021. He has since owned a small web design business. He has also worked as a project and product manager. He earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1995. He earned a master's degree from the National Graduate School in 2005. Recile and his wife live in Fairfield, California, in Solano County. He is active in veterans' organizations. He serves as treasurer of VFW Post 2333. He belongs to the Howe Military Alumni Association and the NRA. He is also a member of the California Rifle & Pistol Association. He is a member of the Solano and Yolo County Republican central committees. This is his third straight run for California's 8th Congressional District seat. He lost the 2022 general election to incumbent Democrat John Garamendi. He lost the 2024 general election, 26.0% to 74.0%. He advanced from the June 2, 2026 top-two primary with 27.8% of the vote (49,599 votes). He again faces Garamendi in the November 2026 general election. He has not held elected office before. Home: Fairfield, California, in Solano County. Occupation: small business owner (web design). Retired U.S. Army Major. Former USDA data manager. Prior office: none. He has not held elected office. This is his third straight run for CA-8. He lost the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
On the issues
- Taxes & Cost of Living
Recile warns that excessive federal government spending risks fueling inflation and criticizes what he characterizes as a Democratic preference for printing money over addressing structural fiscal problems.
Source → - Education & Schools
Recile supports school choice, advocating that public education funding follow the student (e.g., via tax credits usable at the school of a family's choice) rather than being tied to school assignment, and promotes homeschooling as an alternative; he also opposes curricula he associates with 'Critical Race Theory' and 'gender ideology.'
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Recile frames firearm access as a civil liberty under threat, opposing what he describes as incremental erosion of gun rights.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Recile supports continued domestic fossil fuel production alongside nuclear power, opposing policies that would eliminate carbon fuel plants, and separately highlights California's drought and water needs for agriculture.
Source → - Veterans' Affairs
Recile, a retired Army Major, prioritizes reducing bureaucratic barriers that he says prevent veterans from accessing earned benefits, criticizing what he calls performative political support for veterans rather than sustained action.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Recile emphasizes election integrity as a reform priority, calling for measures to verify voting systems, alongside broader calls for government spending transparency and accountability.
Source →
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