Standing in front of a bright green tractor, Republican Congressman James Gallagher greets about 30 voters at Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply in Red Bluff.
“If we turn out in large numbers, we can win this district,” Gallagher tells the crowd.
Red Bluff is a town of about 14,000 between Chico and Redding. It’s known for its century-old rodeo and conservative politics. In 2024, nearly 70% of voters in Tehama County supported President Donald Trump.
Gallagher, a former state assemblymember, won the 1st Congressional District seat in a special election in June, following the unexpected death of longtime Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa.
Now, Gallagher is fighting to keep that seat in a district that looks very different from the one he won just months ago.
Proposition 50 redrew the district’s boundaries, removing the Republican stronghold of Redding and adding the Democratic city of Santa Rosa.
Gallagher also faces another challenge: Republican voters who are increasingly frustrated with Trump.
“I’m really disappointed of what is happening in Washington, D.C. today,” said Ron Speed, a 92-year-old registered Republican from Red Bluff.
Speed opposes Trump’s war in Iran and said rising gas prices are making life more expensive for ordinary Americans.
“I don't believe in all these tariffs,” he said. “That is causing the prices of everything to go up.”
But Speed still supports Gallagher, who previously represented him in the state assembly and received Trump’s endorsement. He believes Gallagher will stand up for rural communities in Washington, even if that means breaking with the president.
Eric McGhee, an elections expert at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, said Trump’s low approval ratings could hurt Gallagher’s chances.
“Republicans are just not as enthusiastic about the election as Democrats are,” McGhee said.
He said one key question is whether the low-engaged voters who helped Trump win the White House in 2024 will turn out again.
Gallagher appears to be shifting to the political landscape.
He recently removed Trump's endorsement from his campaign website. And he’s pivoted on the war in Iran. In July, Gallagher voted against ending it, but at the feed store in Red Bluff, he acknowledged the unpopular war is “causing a lot of economic pain.”
“I think we need to bring it to a close,” he said. “We do need to end it.”
For voters like Debbie Harper, 66, the focus is keeping Gallgher in Congress.
She said she’s feeling motivated and hopes others feel the same.
“It's all about really getting the word out, ‘Hey, this is an important election,’” she said. “Let's get out there. Let's do what we need to do, so that we can protect our way of life.”
But Gallagher faces a difficult race.
A University of Southern California poll shows him trailing his Democratic opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, by 14 percentage points.
If McGuire wins, he could become the first Democrat to represent California’s 1st Congressional District in more than a decade.
