Here’s who is running for Congress in Sacramento-area districts. Who are the incumbents?

California’s secretary of state has released its list of certified candidates to be on the March 5 primary ballot for Congress.

The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the Nov. 5 general election. Incumbents — Democrats and Republicans — are largely expected to prevail across areas in and around Sacramento.

Here is a brief breakdown of who is running in each congressional district:

1st District

North of Sacramento County is the solidly red 1st. It presses against both the Oregon and Nevada borders, incorporating Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter and Tehama counties as well as most of Yuba County.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, has held the seat since 2013 and has never had a close election. He has two Democratic challengers: Mike Doran, a lawyer and board member of the Shasta Union High School district, and Rose Penelope Yee, a financial adviser.

3rd District

The district held by freshman Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, is the most contentious around Sacramento, according to nonpartisan analysts. Still, most election forecasters believe he will likely keep his seat in 2024.

The 3rd stretches from the northern Sierra Nevada mountains along the Nevada border into Death Valley, covering Alpine, Inyo, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra and portions of El Dorado, Sacramento and Yuba counties.

He faces Democrat Jessica Morse, a wildfire prevention specialist who lost but fund-raised well in the 2018 election against Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove.

An Army veteran and operational programs director, Robert Smith, is running without a party preference.

Kiley, who served in the state Assembly from 2016 to 2022, defeated Navy veteran and physician Dr. Kermit Jones by more than 7 percentage points last year to earn the seat.

4th District

West of Sacramento County is the solidly-Democratic 4th, holding Lake, Napa and parts of Yolo, Solano and Sonoma counties.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, was first elected to Congress from the area in 1998. He’s never had a tough election. His 2024 challengers are Republican John Munn, a farmer and rancher; Democrat Andrew Engdahl, an account executive; and Niket Patwardhan, who has worked in the tech industry and is running without a party preference.

5th District

The 5th, represented by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, runs from Placerville down into Fresno County, covering Yosemite National Park and parts of Kings Canyon National Park. It grabs Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties as well as western El Dorado County and eastern Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties.

McClintock has represented various Northern California areas in Congress since 2009. The 5th is forecasted as solidly Republican in 2024. Democrat Mike Barkley, a lawyer and perennial candidate, is running against McClintock again, and so is no-party preference candidate Steve Wozniak — a business owner and writer, not the Apple co-founder.

6th District

The 6th district, held by Rep. Ami Bera, is entirely within Sacramento County, covering the north side of Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Arden-Arcade and most of Fair Oaks.

Bera, D-Elk Grove, holds this heavily Democratic district. He was first elected to Congress in 2012, unseating a Republican following redistricting based on the 2010 census.

Republican challengers include realtor Chris Bish, who ran there in 2022 and challenged neighboring Rep. Doris Matsui in 2020; Robla school board member Craig DeLuz; and businessman Ray Riehle. Democrat Adam Barajas, a retail worker, and Green Party perennial candidate Chris Richardson, a retired programmer, are also on the ballot.

7th District

The solidly-blue 7th encompasses southern Sacramento County — including downtown Sacramento and Elk Grove — and bits of Solano and Yolo counties, including West Sacramento.

Matsui, D-Sacramento, first joined Congress in 2005; she took over from her late husband, Bob Matsui, who had held the seat since 1979.

Republican Tom Silva, a veteran program coordinator who was a Galt Joint Union Elementary School District trustee, and Democrat David Mandel, an attorney who focuses on human rights efforts, are also running.