Art Hodges
Candidate for State Senate District 18
Art Hodges is a pastor and bishop. He is based in the city of Chula Vista, California. He is running as the Republican candidate for California State Senate District 18. The general election is November 3, 2026. Senate District 18 sits along the U.S.-Mexico border. It includes the Imperial Valley and some Colorado River communities. It also includes southern San Diego County. That area includes Chula Vista, National City, and Imperial Beach. Hodges is running against Sen. Steve Padilla, a Democrat. Padilla is the incumbent and is seeking re-election. According to his campaign, Hodges has held many leadership roles. These include college class president and school principal. He was also a college chancellor. He worked as a pastor for 40 years and has retired from that role, according to coverage of his campaign. His campaign says he served as a bishop. He oversees about 350 churches and ministers in Southern California. He also holds CEO and board positions. These are with several religious and civic groups. One is a children's orphanage. He is also tied to the Salt and Light Council and to Revive California. His campaign material makes a further claim. It says he led opposition to COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings, in 2020 and 2021. It says that opposition led to two Supreme Court rulings. Those rulings favored reopening houses of worship. His campaign describes him as a longtime political independent. It says he later became a registered Republican. He has not previously held elected public office. He is married to a woman named Rosa. They have been married for 48 years. They have three adult children. They also have six grandchildren. Home: Chula Vista, California. His occupation is pastor and bishop. He oversees around 350 churches in Southern California. He also serves as a CEO or board member of a few religious and civic groups. Prior office: None found. This is his first run for public office. He is a challenger to Sen. Steve Padilla, a Democrat, who holds the seat now.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Opposes what he characterizes as excessive government regulation of businesses, viewing overregulation as burdensome to job creators.
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Opposes high state income, sales, and property taxes, arguing they burden residents and push businesses out of California.
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Identifies housing affordability and homelessness as a top-priority crisis in the district, citing high rents and home prices, though the campaign site does not detail specific policy proposals to address it.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Opposes reductions in police funding/resources, framing law enforcement as having been "demoralized or defunded" under current state policy.
Source → - Criminal Justice & Courts
Opposes what he describes as "soft-on-crime" sentencing policy, specifically criticizing Proposition 47 for contributing to theft, shoplifting, and early release of offenders.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Frames current California law on abortion and marriage/gender issues as being in conflict with a "biblical worldview," without stating a specific legislative position.
Source → - Education & Schools
Opposes curricula he characterizes as promoting "gender ideology," "sexual content," and Critical Race Theory in public schools, supports strengthening parental rights, and supports expanding school choice, including homeschooling and alternative education options.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Argues that current state climate and environmental policies impose excessive burdens on working-class residents and small communities, criticizing energy-related regulations and citing wildfire/forest management as an area of concern.
Source → - Water & Natural Resources
Describes state water restrictions as burdensome regulation, without detailing a specific water supply, groundwater, or infrastructure policy.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Expresses skepticism about the fairness of universal mail-in voting, concern that voters in California's one-party-dominant legislature feel unrepresented, and concern about outsized influence of lobbyists and unions over state policy.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.