Forget the usual campaign theater. With the June 2 primary election just around the corner, California’s 8th Congressional District candidates are grappling with three issues that hit Sacramento-area and Bay Area voters where it actually hurts: housing costs that’ve spiraled into the stratosphere, gas prices that make commuters wince at the pump, and groceries that drain your wallet before you even leave the store.
The district, which stretches across parts of Solano and Contra Costa Counties through cities like Fairfield, Vallejo, Richmond, Antioch, and Suisun City, is largely a commuter population. That means people are burning through gas and time—sometimes nearly an hour each day—just to get to work. It’s no wonder these economic pressures are top of mind for candidates.
Three Democrats are making serious pitches for your vote: incumbent John Garamendi, who’s seeking his 9th term in Congress and currently chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness; Nick Carjuzaa, a former international financial regulatory analyst; and Aaron Rowden, who brings experience as a policy analyst for a Bay Area public health nonprofit. Republican Rudy Recile, a small business owner and retired U.S. Army Major, didn’t respond to interview requests.
On housing, there’s actual daylight between the candidates. Garamendi points to his HOME Act, which he introduced four to five years ago as an update to a federal low-income housing program that hadn’t been touched since 1994. The bill includes grants for building low-income housing, rent payment assistance, and rehabilitation programs. This year, it was rolled into a broader bipartisan housing package—a tangible legislative win he’s pushing to expand.
Carjuzaa takes a different angle, arguing that the financial system itself is built to profit off housing rather than solve it. He wants to treat affordable housing like public infrastructure, requiring federal funding and changes to the tax code and financial regulations to redirect investor incentives away from speculation and toward affordability.
Rowden focuses on curbing private equity’s stranglehold on the single-family home market. His top priority: regulate who can buy single-family homes to favor individual owners over investment firms profiting from pricing out everyday people. It’s a direct jab at the Wall Street players who’ve turned housing into a commodity rather than a home.
When it comes to gas and grocery prices, all three Democrats converge on one villain: the Iran War. At $6.05 per gallon for regular unleaded and diesel so expensive it’s making ranchers think twice about using their trucks, the candidates argue that Trump’s administration created this crisis, and ending the conflict is the fastest path to relief. Carjuzaa emphasizes the ripple effect—everything from fertilizer to food distribution depends on stable energy prices—while Rowden calls the war“patently illegal,”noting that the executive branch is overstepping constitutional limits without congressional authorization.
Beyond the immediate crisis, though, the candidates differ on the long game. Rowden wants wholesale agricultural policy reform, questioning why federal incentives prop up prices instead of promoting stability. Carjuzaa pushes for public transportation infrastructure and renewable energy investment to get people living closer to work. Garamendi leans on his five-decade track record on clean energy, having introduced the first tax credits for solar and wind back in 1974—a bet that his proven commitment matters more than flashy new promises.
The June 2 primary will determine which two of these four candidates move forward to the November general election. With housing unaffordable, commutes expensive, and grocery bills climbing, the candidates’actual plans—not their rhetoric—will matter to voters deciding who gets their vote.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
