SOLANO COUNTY — Retired U.S. Army Major Rudy Recile is once again looking to unseat Congressman John Garamendi as the representative for California’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garamendi defeated Recile 74% to 26% in the 2024 election, and by 75.7% to 24.3% in the 2022 election.
Due to the passage of Proposition 50 last November, the 8th Congressional District now includes Vallejo, Richmond, Fairfield, Dixon, Rio Vista, and parts of Lodi. Though Proposition 50 was proposed by Democratic leaders to offset the gerrymandering by Texas Republicans, a Los Angeles Times analysis found that the redistricting means that District 8 now leans slightly more to the right.
How to vote: Ballots will be mailed to voters this week, and the completed ballots must be signed and postmarked before the polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters can also vote in person on Nov. 3, Election Day.
How we reported this story: We solicited questions from our audience and attended community forums to find out what questions mattered most to Solano County voters. We then interviewed each of the candidates to learn more about their positions and what they plan to do in office. You can find out more about how we cover elections on our FAQ.
Rudy Rucile
Republican Rudy Recile is a retired U.S. Army Major and holds a master’s degree in quality systems management. He has worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a data manager and now runs a small web design, hosting, and internet service business.
Rucile said that too many politicians in Congress do not do a good job of reporting back to their constituents, and that’s why he’s throwing his hat in the race. He said that District 8 needs good representation in D.C.
“Being able to bring back industry to create those jobs for our people here in the district is the biggest thing that needs to be able to happen,” he said.
“We lost Valero, we lost Anheuser-Busch, we lost Bio-Rad in Benicia, we lost the [Coast Guard] contract with Mare Island,” he said. “We're losing industries left and right, and people are moving out left and right, so we need to be able to find ways to influence and entice businesses and industry to come back to our district.”
According to his website, Rucile believes nuclear power is “the cleanest and safest form of energy.” He believes the state should “allow more oil exploration” and “lower fees and regulations on oil refineries.” He is critical of green power solutions because it “only works when the sun is shining or wind is blowing.”
In a recorded Zoom call posted to YouTube, Recile said he’s firmly against California Forever’s planned city in Solano County. In addition to infrastructure challenges regarding highway access, power, water and sewage, he expressed concern that with Flock cameras everywhere and facial recognition software in all of the shops, the privacy of the residents of that city would be severely compromised.
Rucile acknowledged that Garamendi was one of the first to question California Forever’s land grab. “But other than that, we haven't heard much from him,” Rucile said. He said that Garamendi could have directed more attention to making the Mare Island shipyard a bigger maintenance area, and said that the $1.09 million dollars Garamendi secured for Mare Island sewer repair is barely enough to cover the labor.
Rucile said he does not support California Proposition 40, also known as the billionaire tax, because “the billionaires are the ones that are bringing in industry, and if you start taxing them they can just pick up and move.”
When asked whether trickle-down economics works, Rucile said, “It's been proven time and time again that socialism is not something that has ever worked.” He said that when big businesses start thriving they hire more people, which creates a bigger tax base, and that tax base is what supports the country.
On housing affordability, Rucile said that young people can’t afford to buy a house because local governments “have made it very difficult for developers to develop homes, especially in California.” He believes that by reducing government taxes and regulations, developers would be more encouraged to build smaller starter homes.
On the size of the current U.S national debt, now at $38 trillion dollars, Rucile said that is an executive branch function, and that his job in Congress would be to look out for the well-being of District 8. He said that as long as the executive branch acts within the boundaries of the law, he thinks the country will be okay. He pointed to the recent court injunction placed on the president’s postal service executive order regarding mail-in ballots as proof that the checks and balances in the Constitution are still working.
Regarding the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration, Rucile said that is a matter for the executive branch. “From the House's side of it, we just need to make sure that the law is being enforced as it's written,” Rucile said. “I'm running for Congress. I'm not part of the executive branch that's enforcing law.”
“Life outside the United States is very difficult for a lot of people, especially my family’s coming from the Philippines,” Rucile said. “So do I have empathy for all of those people that are trying to make their way here? By all means, yes.”
But Rucile emphasized that immigrants need to follow the law. He also believes the current immigration system is working. “The process in place that we have has been working for a while,” he said.“If there are any gaps in that, then sure, let's take a look at that. But someone would have to identify what those gaps are.”
Fundraising: Rucile’s campaign has raised $8,576.00 as of June 30. His top contributors are Norman Reece, Joel Barrilleaux, Bob Zielsdorf, Michael Musard, Marc Reed and Jeanne Lapointe.
Endorsements: Rucile’s endorsements include the San Joaquin County Republican Party, conservative influencers April Silverman, Lizzy Benichou and Elizabeth Barcohana, and The Morning Answer with Jennifer Horn.
Congressman John Garamendi
Democratic Congressman John Garamendi is seeking a ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garamendi has previously served as insurance commissioner, lieutenant governor and U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Throughout his years in Congress, he has advocated for veterans and servicemembers and has worked to maintain Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Garamendi has been a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since his first day in Congress. That committee oversees the Coast Guard, the federal management of emergencies and disasters, civil aviation, railroads, and water transportation and safety.
He currently serves as the highest ranking Democrat of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, which sets policy and programs related to military readiness, training, logistics and maintenance.
Garamendi is interested in expanding shipbuilding in the Bay Area and revitalizing Mare Island.
On Sept. 10, he hosted a maritime summit at Cal Poly Maritime Academy that gathered leaders from all corners of the maritime industry — including maritime businesses, laborers, educators, and state and local officials — to discuss and explore the challenges facing America’s maritime industry and how to rebuild it.
In early 2026, he earmarked a $1.09 million federal grant for the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District for Mare Island sewer repairs.
In March 2025, he held a press conference with union leaders at the Mare Island Dry Docks, where he said that the SHIPS for America Act was an opportunity that could restore shipbuilding to Mare Island.
Garamendi said he was “outraged” when the U.S. Coast Guard decided to award a major ship repair and maintenance contract to a Portland, Oregon-based company instead of Mare Island Dry Docks in late 2025, which forced Mare Island Dry Docks into bankruptcy. The Portland company’s bid was $1.5 million more expensive than the Mare Island Dry Docks bid.
Regarding the California Forever-backed legislation to greenlight a shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing development in Collinsville, Garamendi said the Solano County Board of Supervisors was correct to hold back their approval of rushed legislation that lacked clear details.
On whether Mare Island could support the same kind of shipbuilding project proposed for Collinsville, Garamendi said it would depend on what kind of ships would be built, and other details about infrastructure needs and costs that have not been specified.
Garamendi said he also wouldn’t support any project that would interfere with Travis Air Force Base. California Forever amended its initiative in 2024 after the base expressed concerns that the planned city might negatively impact flight paths and base operations.
“I've said this over and over to California Forever, and anybody else, supervisors, city council, anybody else, ‘Put your plans forward, however, be aware, do not do anything that would harm the future of Travis,’” Garamendi said.
On the topic of federal immigration policy, Garamendi has been a strong critic of ICE and its excessive use of force since the beginning of Trump’s presidency. He was among the first Members of Congress to oppose ICE using servicemembers to enforce deportations, and has prevented Travis Air Force Base from being used as an ICE detention center.
When it comes to the November election, Garamendi said that all of America should be very concerned that the democratic election process is being subverted by the president — not only in the determination of who can vote, but also in the election itself.
“There is history that proves that Trump is willing to interfere in not only the counting of votes, as in the 2020 election, but also in the current election process, and to stop the peaceful transition of government,” Garamendi said.
Garamendi said we need to do everything we can to stop Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting for the midterm elections. On Sept. 14, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s plan.
Garamendi also objected to Trump’s intent to deploy ICE at the ballot stations, the only purpose of which, he said, is to discourage legitimate Latino citizens from voting.
The solution, Garamendi said, is to fight fiercely every day in the courts and on the political field, and to prepare the public for what Trump has said he could do.
“Let's win these elections by such a margin that it's not even a discussion,” Garamendi said.
Fundraising: As of June 30, Garamendi’s campaign has raised $489,134.65. His top contributors include Allied Pilots Association Political Action Committee, American Crystal Sugar Company Political Action Committee, Ball Corporation Political Action Committee, Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee United Brotherhood Of Carpenters And Joiners, D.R.I.V.E. - Dem, Rep, Ind Voter Ed (The Pac Of The Int'l Brhd Of Teamsters), and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
Endorsements: Congressman Garamendi is endorsed by the Democratic Party of California, the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, the California Teachers Association, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 3, The National Union of Healthcare Workers, California Environmental Voters, California Young Democrats, and Equality California.
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