San Mateo and San Mateo County voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, to choose their representative in California’s 15th Congressional District.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Kevin Mullin is seeking reelection against Republican challenger Charles Hoelter. The winner will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House.
Election results are pending. This article will be updated as election officials release vote totals.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time, according to the California Secretary of State’s elections page.
The candidates
Mullin has served in Congress since 2023, the Burlingame-Hillsborough Times reported. A San Mateo County native, he represented the area in the California Assembly from 2012 to 2022 and served as speaker pro tempore beginning in 2014. Before that, he sat on the South San Francisco City Council from 2007 to 2012, including as mayor in 2011, according to his congressional biography.
In Congress, Mullin serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to his official committee page. His campaign identifies housing, climate, health care and reproductive rights as priorities. He supports federal funding to increase housing construction and has highlighted the Empty Lots to Housing Act, which would help convert underused land near transit into housing, according to his campaign priorities page.
Mullin reported about $982,000 in campaign receipts from Jan. 1, 2025, through Oct. 14, 2026, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Hoelter is a Republican running on a platform of smaller government, border security, public safety and financial accountability, according to his campaign website. He graduated from Lincoln High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University in 1989, according to Ballotpedia. His state candidate filing identifies him as a retired training supervisor, according to the Secretary of State’s candidate contact list.
His campaign identifies lower taxes, stronger border security, domestic energy production and support for veterans as priorities. The California Republican Party has endorsed him.
Mullin’s campaign endorsement page lists endorsements from the California Democratic Party, state Sen. Josh Becker, Assemblywoman Diane Papan and San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier, among others.
How to vote
Voters who missed the Oct. 19 registration deadline can still register and vote through Election Day. Same-day registration is available at county elections offices or any in-person voting location in the voter’s county, according to the secretary of state.
Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by county election officials by Nov. 10, according to state vote-by-mail guidance. Voters mailing a ballot on Election Day should get a manual postmark from a postal employee inside a U.S. Post Office.
In-person voting locations are open until 8 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday.
Where to find results
Voters can follow returns after polls close through the California Secretary of State’s election results website. Election-night totals are unofficial until canvassing and certification are complete.
