Voters across a sprawling stretch of Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties head to the polls Tuesday to decide whether Democratic Congressman Raul Ruiz earns an eighth term representing California's 25th Congressional District, or whether Republican challenger Joe Males, a Hemet official, can flip the seat. The race pits a physician-turned-lawmaker who has held the seat since 2013 against a Marine veteran who says his son's violent death pushed him into public service.
Ruiz, who is a general practitioner, was first elected to Congress in 2012 after defeating then-incumbent Mary Bono, and he has not lost a reelection bid since, according to The Press-Enterprise. He raised more than $2.5 million during the previous election cycle, the paper reported. District 25 stretches from north of Interstate 40 in San Bernardino County down to the Mexican border in Imperial County and the Arizona state line, with a western boundary that dips into the Hemet Valley and curves up through the San Gorgonio Pass near Desert Hot Springs, north of Interstate 10, according to MyNewsLA.com.
Males, who serves on the Hemet City Council, announced his congressional bid in April 2025. Separately, the city of Hemet's own website lists him as mayor pro tem representing District 4, while the seed coverage of this race from MyNewsLA.com describes him as Hemet's mayor — a discrepancy in his exact title that could not be independently resolved. Males is a former U.S. Marine who was first elected to the Hemet City Council in 2020.
A Father's Loss Turned Into a Political Mission
Males has said he is running for Congress to bring leadership and commonsense solutions to Washington for the Inland Empire. He has cited the loss of one of his two sons, who was killed in a knife attack outside a Hemet bar in 2016, as a driving factor behind his decision to seek office.
He has said he gets things done and has positioned himself as a voice for public safety and the rule of law, while acknowledging that Congress cannot be the sole instrument for curing all social ills. Males has also asserted he would push to hold down federal taxes, spending and regulations if elected.
Affordability Dominates Both Campaigns
Cost of living has emerged as the central issue of the race. Candidates across the district identify the high cost of living as one of the most significant challenges facing residents, according to NBC Palm Springs. Males has said that reducing gas taxes and rolling back regulations would help lower costs for families across California, per the same report.
Ruiz has made similar affordability concerns central to his campaign, telling The Press-Enterprise that families across the district are paying more for groceries, housing, energy, healthcare and everyday necessities. He said he was furious with the Trump administration over tariffs and the war in Iran, which he said drove up prices for gas, cars and appliances, and he said he is dedicated to lowering the cost of living through legislation.
Diverging Views on Immigration and Growth
The two candidates also split sharply on immigration policy. Ruiz has called for greater accountability and oversight of immigration enforcement, while Males emphasizes stronger border enforcement and adherence to legal immigration processes, the NBC Palm Springs report notes.
Ruiz has said he aims to improve medical coverage for thousands of local families, and his campaign website has listed environmental protection, lowering out-of-pocket medical-service expenses, and facilitating veterans' access to government services among his priorities. He has also said he has pushed back on proposed data center projects over their strain on water, energy and agricultural land.
A District Shaped by Shifting Demographics
The contest unfolds against a changing political landscape. Democrats held a roughly 15-percentage-point voter-registration edge in the district going into November 2024, per the Press-Enterprise report, even as more than two-thirds of the district's residents are Latino — a group the same report says shifted toward President Trump in 2024. Trump also won Imperial County that year, which has a Latino population.
Males has said he was endorsed by Riverside County GOP Assemblymembers Jeff Gonzalez and Greg Wallis. The 25th Congressional District also includes Republican candidates Ceci Andrade-Truman and Ronald Huffman, according to NBC Palm Springs, rounding out a field vying for a seat covering all of Imperial County, desert communities in eastern Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and the cities of Banning, Beaumont, San Jacinto and part of Hemet.
