# Salud Carbajal

Salud Ortiz Carbajal (/səˈluːd ˈkɑːrbəhɑːl/ sə-LOOD KAR-bə-hahl; born November 18, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 24th congressional district since 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and his district covers Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.

## Early life and education

Carbajal was born in Moroleón, Mexico, in 1964 and immigrated to the United States, initially to Arizona, later settling in Oxnard, California, with his family, where his father was a farmworker.
Carbajal attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990, and Fielding Graduate University, where he earned a master's degree in organizational management.

## Political 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 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in 2004, representing the first district as a Democrat. He was reelected in 2008 and 2012.

### U.S. House of Representatives
#### Elections
##### 2016

In 2015, Carbajal announced his intention to run for the 24th district after incumbent Lois Capps announced her retirement. Carbajal was seen as one of the two Democratic front-runners in the open primary, alongside Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, and was rivaled by Republican front-runners Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian and small businessman and former Congressional aide Justin Fareed. The primary field consisted of four Democrats, three Republicans, and two independent candidates.
In the June 7 primary, Carbajal came in first, with 66,402 votes (31.9%). The runner-up was Fareed, who received 42,521 (20.5%).
In the November 8 general election, Carbajal received 53.4% of the vote to Fareed's 46.6%, a popular vote margin of about 21,000.

##### 2018

Carbajal was reelected over Republican challenger Fareed with 58.6% of the vote.

##### 2020

Carbajal was reelected to a third term over Republican challenger Andy Caldwell, a nonprofit executive, with 58.7% of the vote.

##### 2022

Carbajal was reelected to a fourth term over Republican challenger Brad Allen with 60.6% of the vote.

#### Tenure

As of October 2021, Carbajal had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.

#### Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:
* Committee on Agriculture
** Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
* Committee on Armed Services
** Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
** Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
* Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
** Subcommittee on Aviation
** Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation (Ranking Member)
** Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

#### Caucus memberships

* New Democrat Coalition
* House Baltic Caucus
* Congressional Hispanic Caucus
* Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
* Climate Solutions Caucus
* Problem Solvers Caucus
* Congressional Solar Caucus
* Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
* Rare Disease Caucus

## Political positions
### Abortion

Carbajal opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it a "betrayal to our Constitution and...millions of women who count on its protections to retain control of their own body and choices."

### Israel

Carbajal voted to voice support for Israel following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. This pro-Israel position was unpopular with many of his constituents. Several rallies were held in his district to condemn his position, including in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura. The largest of these demonstrations gathered over 500 community members who called on him to denounce what they referred to as "the Israeli genocide in Gaza". Dozens of activists demonstrated outside his Santa Barbara office to condemn his position.

### LGBT+ rights

While stating he was "vehemently opposed" to the provisions which banned gender-affirming care for transgender children in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Carbajal still voted yes to pass the bill.

## Personal life

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

### Foreign awards

* Ukraine
** Honorary Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2024) – Awarded by Ukrainian Parliament; presented by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.