George WhitesidesIncumbent
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 27
George Whitesides is a Democrat. He represents California's 27th District. He took office in January 2025. He beat Mike Garcia, the Republican incumbent, in 2024. The race was close. Before politics, he worked in aerospace. He led NASA staff under Administrator Charles Bolden. This was from 2009 to 2010. He was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic. He held that job from 2010 to 2021. He co-founded Megafire Action. This group works on wildfire response. He has a degree from Princeton. It is in public and international affairs. He also has a graduate degree from King's College, Cambridge. It is in geographic information systems and remote sensing. He was also a Fulbright Scholar. In Congress, he sits on the House Armed Services Committee. He also sits on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He is running for a second term. The election is in November 2026. Born March 3, 1974. Home: Antelope Valley, California. This is the CA-27 district. He was originally from Newton, MA. Occupation: U.S. Representative for CA-27. He was previously CEO of Virgin Galactic. He was also NASA Chief of Staff. Prior office: none, before Congress. He has been incumbent since January 2025. He was first elected in November 2024.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Supports policies aimed at lowering costs for working families and growing jobs through support for local businesses and workforce development, though he has not detailed specific positions on minimum wage, labor law, or tariffs.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Opposed the 2025 Republican reconciliation bill (H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act") that set tax policy, raised the debt limit, and restructured federal spending.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Supports protecting and expanding access to affordable health care, including defending existing reproductive-health coverage, and has publicized office assistance to constituents with Medicare and other federal health/benefits issues.
Source → - Immigration & Border
Has taken narrow enforcement-related immigration votes rather than a comprehensive stated platform: supported barring/deporting non-citizens for DUI offenses, while opposing an unrelated voter-registration citizenship-documentation bill; he did not vote on a separate detention-related enforcement bill.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Supports defending reproductive rights (abortion access); no specific stated position on LGBTQ rights or religious liberty was found.
Source → - Education & Schools
Supports increased investment in public education, community colleges, and workforce development to expand affordable education access.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Supports clean-energy policy aimed at achieving American energy independence through private-sector innovation, and has introduced wildfire-prevention and extreme-heat legislation.
Source → - Foreign Policy & Defense
As a House Armed Services Committee member, supports defense-industry investment in his district and expanded support and services for veterans; no specific stated position on foreign aid or trade agreements was found.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Opposed adding documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voter registration, and supports government transparency measures.
Source → - Technology & Privacy
Supported federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency stablecoins; sits on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, but no specific stated position on AI regulation, data privacy, or antitrust/big tech was found.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.