Salud Carbajal


Salud Ortiz Carbajal is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 24th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, his district covers Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

Early life and education

Carbajal was born in Moroleón, Mexico, in 1964 and later immigrated to the United States initially to Arizona, later settling in Oxnard, California, with his family, where his father worked as a farmworker.
Carbajal attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a bachelor's degree, and Fielding Graduate University, where he earned a master's degree in organizational management.

Career

Carbajal served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for eight years, including during the Gulf War, although he did not leave the contiguous United States.

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors

Carbajal was first elected to the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County, California in 2004, representing the first district as a Democrat. He was reelected in 2008 and 2012.

U.S. House of Representatives

2016 campaign

In 2015, Carbajal announced his intentions to run for the 24th district, after incumbent Democrat Lois Capps announced her retirement. Carbajal was seen as one of the two Democratic frontrunners in the open primary, alongside Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, and was rivaled by Republican frontrunners Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, and small businessman and former Congressional aide Justin Fareed. The primary field consisted of 4 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and 2 independent candidates.
In the primary on June 7, Carbajal ultimately came in first, with 31.9% of the vote, amounting to 66,402 total popular votes. The runner-up was Fareed, who received 20.5%.
In the general election on November 8, Carbajal received roughly 53.4% of the total vote over Fareed's 46.6%, which amounted to a popular vote margin of about 21,000 votes.

Committee assignments

Carbajal currently lives in Santa Barbara, California and is married to Gina, with whom he has two children.