Jim Costa

Jim Costa grew up working on the Fresno dairy his grandparents built after immigrating from Portugal's Azores Islands.¹ He still farms in the San Joaquin Valley, although his crop today is almonds.¹ As a college intern in Washington, he watched the Watergate hearings in person.¹

Costa graduated from San Joaquin Memorial High School and earned his political science degree at Fresno State.¹ His early jobs included work for Congressmen B.F. Sisk and John Krebs and as Richard Lehman's chief of staff.¹ Elected to California's Assembly in 1978, he later served in the state Senate before entering Congress in 2005.¹

His state legislative work included transportation, agriculture and the San Joaquin River Parkway.¹ In Congress, he has worked on farm legislation and water projects and cofounded the bipartisan Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus.¹ His legislative record includes child abuse and child survivor protections that became law.¹

Costa supports expanding medical education in underserved communities and improving access to affordable care.² He also advocates modernized legal immigration and, in October, sought information about immigration arrests, detention procedures and access to counsel.³ Republican Kyle Kirkland is his November challenger for the Valley district's congressional seat.⁴