Rep. Salud Carbajal Stays Optimistic on Election Night Despite Presidential Results

At the packed patio bar outside the S.B. Biergarten on Election Night, 24th Congressional District Representative Salud Carbajal tried to remain “cautiously optimistic” about the nationwide election as the results started to trickle in on the TVs around the room.

During his speech to the crowd at the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County watch party, made up of more than 100 people who were both happy about local wins and anxious about the national races, Rep. Carbajal said that he was grateful to be from the state of California, specifically the Central Coast, which he said “reflects our democratic values.”

Although Donald Trump’s lead continued to grow over the night and the Senate soon tipped in the Republicans’ favor, Carbajal said that he was still encouraged to see a path to take the majority in the House of Representatives. (As of early Wednesday morning, the Democrats had 181 seats and the Republicans had won 199 in the race to reach the 218 needed for a majority.)

“We need to remember that we need to continue to go forward, no matter what the outcome will be [for other races in the House],” he told the crowd. “We hope it’s gonna be the way we want it to be. But we have a lot of work to do to continue to represent our constituents, promote our values, to protect our democracy and our civil rights, and fight for all those issues that are important for working, middle-class families.”

In an interview with the Independent, Rep Carbajal said he was “anxious” about the nationwide results. “It’s gonna be tight,” he said. “We’re not gonna know the results for a few days and so we need to be patient, but I’m cautiously optimistic and hopeful when it comes to my race.”

As of midnight, Carbajal was in a comfortable position to regain his seat in the 24th Congressional District with more than 65 percent of the county’s vote against challenger Thomas Cole.

When asked what felt different about the 2024 election, Carbajal said that things have gotten “very competitive throughout the country,” from the presidential race down to the Senate and House of Representatives. “It’s become a lot tighter,” he said.

Even if the election went further to the right than he expected, Rep. Carbajal said that he’s excited to continue the work he’s been doing in Washington, D.C., and here on the Central Coast, where he hopes to provide more relief for constituents suffering with high costs for groceries, housing, and child care. 

“All of those things that go to their pocketbooks that they are dealing with on a daily basis,” he said. “Making sure that we’re providing an increase in healthcare, providing higher education opportunities and financial aid for residents, working on all those things that lift up the quality of life of the Central Coast families.”

And regarding the big-ticket presidential race, Carbajal said that even a Trump win doesn’t mean that the work stops for Democrats.

“If it is Trump, it just reminds us of the work we have ahead of us to continue to protect democracy,” he said Tuesday night, before the race was eventually called for Trump early Wednesday morning. “To continue to protect the civil rights of all individuals in our country and here on the Central Coast, and to be the checks and balances in the House of Representatives should we be successful in taking over the majority.”