Jay Obernolte — Republican Candidate for U.S. House in California, 2026

Representative Jay Obernolte supports immigration enforcement, as demonstrated by his visits to the California City Immigration Processing Center and the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility. Following his visit to Adelanto, he affirmed that the facility treats detainees humanely, providing access to medical care and legal representation. He emphasized that the center assists ICE in carrying out its mission to enforce immigration laws.

“It’s clear to me that this facility is doing its job: ensuring that detainees are treated humanely – with access to medical care, legal representation, and timely hearings – while helping ICE carry out its mission to enforce our immigration laws,” Obernolte, in a message on X after his Adelanto visit, as reported by calmatters.org, July 2025.”

Jay Obernolte advocates for a personalized, patient-centered healthcare system, emphasizing fiscally responsible policies and opposing a "one-size-fits-all" federal approach. He supports leveraging telehealth and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance access and reduce costs. He voted for H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, and co-sponsored H.R. 6197, the Health Tech Investment Act, which aims to establish a reimbursement pathway for AI-enabled medical devices to improve Medicare patient outcomes.

“Communities like ours in the High Desert and Inland Empire desperately need better access to affordable and quality healthcare. California - and our rural district in particular - is unique. A one-size-fits-all Washington approach does not work for the disparate communities like ours. We must support the development of a personalized, patient-centered healthcare system, including better access to telehealth services. We also need fiscally responsible healthcare policies and commonsense initiatives that empower patients, increase choices, and lower health care costs without reducing benefits. (Jay Obernolte, obernolte.house.gov, Issues: Healthcare)”

Jay Obernolte voted against environmental protections and climate initiatives in 2025 and 2026, receiving a 3% score from the League of Conservation Voters in 2025 and a 6% lifetime score. He supported overturning California's electric vehicle mandates and introduced an amendment to prevent an EPA waiver for the California Air Resources Board's In-Use Locomotive Regulation. Obernolte also introduced legislation to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign critical minerals and sponsored bills to increase domestic energy potential, onshore and offshore lease sales, and streamline drilling permits.

Research pending more substantial sources.

Jay Obernolte advocates for American leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development, citing its importance for national security and sustained economic growth against competitors like the Chinese Communist Party. He emphasizes creating a federal framework for AI that protects against AI-enabled cyberattacks and disinformation, while also fostering innovation and avoiding preemption of state child safety actions. He co-chairs the Bipartisan House AI Task Force and introduced the CREATE AI Act to establish the National AI Research Resource.

“American leadership in AI is essential to sustained economic growth, technological advancement across a wide range of applications, and the protection of our national security, particularly as competitors such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seek to undermine U.S. leadership in this space." (Jay Obernolte, Opening Statement of Chairman Jay Obernolte at Advancing America’s AI Action Plan, January 14, 2026)”

Research pending more substantial sources.

Research pending more substantial sources.