Republican · California's 35th District · 2026
Mike Cargile
Cargile's working life has included acting, film editing, managing an Australian rock band and helping manufacture Power Rangers food products.
Biography
Mike Cargile's working life has included managing an Australian rock band and helping manufacture Power Rangers food products.1 His other professional roles have ranged from acting and writing to directing, producing, editing and marketing.1 He also helped run an independent music label.1
His biography describes earlier service as an Army quartermaster officer and a move into the Individual Ready Reserve after Desert Storm.1 He moved to California in 1991, met his wife, Nan, in Southern California and raised two children there.1
Away from his professional work, Cargile has coached, worked as a crossing guard for his children and served as a booster president.1 His church service has included being a deacon.1 He attends Chino Valley Community Church.1 He also helped start the San Bernardino County Patriots and the Tri-County Sheriff's Forum.1
His congressional platform emphasizes stricter border enforcement, gun ownership rights and reducing government's role in daily life.2 He calls for eliminating taxes on tips and Social Security benefits, and halving property taxes for people over 65.2 He supports parental notification in schools and opposes transgender girls competing in girls' sports.2 His energy priorities include protecting access to gas appliances and gasoline.2 He also pledges support for law enforcement officers and military veterans.2
Record and controversies
Past social media posts and QAnon comments
In 2020, Media Matters documented Facebook comments in which Cargile used a racial slur and told Black people to stop blaming white people for their problems.3 The California Republican Party removed its endorsement from its website that July.3 In a 2022 email reproduced by Right On Daily, Cargile rejected accusations of racism and said he had written fictional rap dialogue during a conversation about language with a Black friend.4 Separately, in a 2020 Sacramento Bee interview, he said he did not think support for QAnon had hurt his campaign and that he backed efforts to expose wrongdoing in high places.5 The article described QAnon's central conspiracy claims as unfounded.5 These accounts concern his earlier campaigns and do not establish the party's endorsement decision in 2026.