A longtime state assemblywoman from Thousand Oaks announced plans to run for a congressional seat in Ventura County hours after the incumbent said she won't seek an eighth term in office.
Democratic Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin will seek the 26th District Congressional seat.
Earlier on Thursday, Congresswoman Julia Brownley of Westlake Village released a statement saying she wouldn't seek another term. Irwin made her announcement a few hours later.
She served on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission and the Thousand Oaks City Council before being elected to the State Assembly in 2014.
Irwin is now serving her sixth and final term in the Assembly. She can't run again because of term limits.
Political observers say if Brownley had sought re-election, she probably would have won easily. Voter registration in the congressional district leans heavily Democratic.
In 2024, Republican businessman, veteran, and university professor Michael Koslow challenged Brownly, but lost by a 56% to 44% margin. He’s running again in 2026.
