It’s a 2022 rematch in California’s 38th congressional district, between Walnut City Councilmember Eric Ching and incumbent Rep. Linda Sánchez.

The pair went head-to-head two years ago in the race for the district that spans L.A. and Orange counties, with Sánchez, a longtime member of the House, emerging victorious with 58.1% of the vote then.

Sánchez, 55, was first elected to Congress in 2002. She’s a former labor attorney who was born in Orange; her parents were immigrants from Mexico. She’s the first Latina to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, according to her House biography, and she’s the first woman to helm the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, which works to increase Latino representation in Congress.

First elected to the Walnut City Council in 2012, Ching, 57, has served multiple stints as the city’s mayor. His background is in business and management, specifically in telecommunications, and holds multiple certificates in technology fields, according to his city bio.

Ching, a Republican, said he would like to see federal agencies more “actively pursue” people who commit crimes like drug or sex trafficking or money laundering. He also said, in a questionnaire posed by the Orange County Register, that he supports “the immediate deportation of undocumented criminals and known terrorists after they have served their time.”

“I support an immediate boost on border security to stop drugs, weapons and human trafficking,” Ching said. “The undocumented should go through the immigration process just as other immigrants.”

Sánchez, though, said she opposes plans “to cruelly tear families apart, waste billions of dollars and leave companies without the workers they need,” when asked about border security and calls by some for mass deportation efforts. Instead, Sánchez proposed, through legislation, strengthening border patrol with modern technology to prevent contraband like drugs from entering into the country. Her bill also “authorizes and provides funding to improve infrastructure for processing asylum seekers, creating a faster and fairer system,” she said.

When it comes to high costs of living, Sánchez said she supports legislation meant to strengthen agriculture and food supply chains and reduce food and gasoline costs.

“As a single mom, I understand the pain that rising prices — on everything from prescription drugs and groceries to energy bills and housing — has had on household budgets,” Sánchez said, while also praising the Inflation Reduction Act.

Ching’s plan to address the cost of living concerns, if elected, is: “Reduce inflation, cost to operate businesses and wasteful government spending.”

When it comes to the environment, Ching said he wants to “find ways to secure water resources while ensuring residents, farmers and business are not affected.”

Sánchez, meanwhile, touted bipartisan efforts to make retrofitting older buildings, so as to improve energy efficiency, more affordable. The bill she authored with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania would offer tax credits to counter the costs of adding insulation to mechanical piping and HVAC systems, she said.

Ching solidly defeated the two other Republican candidates in the March primary election to advance to a rematch with Sánchez this fall. But nonpartisan election forecasters view the seat as a safe hold for Democrats when all the dust has settled after Election Day.

Democrats account for 47.39% of registered voters in the district as of Sept. 6, the latest tally from the secretary of state, while 23.59% are Republicans and 22.77% are no party preference.

Sánchez has raised more than $1.4 million in the race and has more than $607,000 cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission. Ching, meanwhile, has raked in nearly $176,000 and has about $15,000 cash on hand.

California’s 38th congressional district is mostly nestled in L.A. County but picks up La Habra in Orange County. It includes Diamond Bar, La Habra Heights, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Walnut and Whittier as well.

Find out more about Ching and Sánchez — and other candidates on your ballot — with the Register’s Voter Guide. Both candidates were sent questionnaires and in their own words, detailed their plans on various issues, from artificial intelligence to the environment and from the U.S. Supreme Court to crime and public safety. You can also find what’s on their playlists as they’re on the campaign trail.