This story will be updated with results after polls close at 8 p.m. on June 2.
Democrat Rep. Raul Ruiz is looking to defend his seat in Congress in the newly drawn 25th Congressional District, which now includes most of the Coachella Valley.
He faces three Republicans: Joe Males, the mayor pro tem of Hemet and a Marine Corps veteran; Ronald Huffman, a former electrical worker and union steward from Beaumont; and Ceci Andrade Truman, a small business owner whose election filings place her in Winchester.
Following the passage of Proposition 50 in November 2025, congressional districts in California have changed. The constitutional amendment known as the Election Rigging Response Act redistricted congressional seats to increase the number of Democrat representatives.
Ruiz’s district now includes the cities of Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Palm Desert and continues to include Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Indio, Coachella and the unincorporated parts of the east valley. It also sprawls across vast stretches of California’s sparsely populated southeastern desert, including the high desert around Joshua Tree and all of Imperial County.
Following national trends, the candidates all focused on affordability as one of their main priorities in their responses to a Desert Sun questionnaire.
“I believe the biggest challenge is that too many people feel left behind by an economy that is not working for them,” Ruiz said in the questionnaire. “People are worried about rising costs, housing affordability, and access to healthcare.”
Other candidates also told The Desert Sun they would work to lower costs.
“I spent over 20 years as a small business owner and have seen firsthand what excessive regulations and rising costs do to working families and local businesses,” Males said. “I would fight to reduce unnecessary regulations, support domestic energy production, bring manufacturing and jobs back home, and support policies that help small businesses grow rather than bury them in red tape.”
While also focusing on affordability, Huffman described a plan to increase California’s water supply as one of his main priorities.
“If elected I will have this water flowing in 7 short years. There is no other alternative,” he said of his plan to create an interstate pipeline to bring Columbia River water to California. “The Sacramento and the Colorado River could never support the growth we’ve experienced. We have to grow our economy, it is the only way we can support our economy. Abundant water will boost our tourism and our agriculture to new records.”
Truman did not respond to The Desert Sun’s questionnaire.
So far, Ruiz has fundraised the most, at around $1.8 million. Males comes in second at $885,537.68. Truman has raised $305,441.55. There was no campaign finance data submitted for Huffman.
Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California 25th Congressional District election results
Reporting by Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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