It’s a race that pits a veteran Tri-Counties congressman against a military veteran making his first bid for a major political office.
Incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal faces independent challenger Bob Smith for the 24th District congressional seat. The district includes all of Santa Barbara County and parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties, with about 760,000 residents.
Carbajal is from an immigrant family. He grew up in Ventura County, graduated from UC Santa Barbara, and served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 2004, he was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. In 2014, he was elected to Congress. He’s now seeking a sixth term…