George Whitesides

George Thomas Whitesides is a Democratic politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 27th congressional district. He was first elected to the House in November 2024, unseating the incumbent Mike Garcia. Whitesides earned a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University in 1996 and later received a master’s degree in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Cambridge as a Fulbright Scholar. His professional career includes significant leadership roles in the aerospace sector and government. He served as the Chief of Staff for NASA during the Obama administration, where he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the agency's highest honor. Following his time at NASA, Whitesides served for a decade as the CEO of the spaceflight company Virgin Galactic, where he is credited with growing the company's workforce and supporting the aerospace industry in the Antelope Valley. He is also a co-founder of Megafire Action, a nonprofit organization focused on addressing the wildfire crisis through policy and technology.

Whitesides has publicly advocated for policies focused on healthcare access, economic affordability, and environmental protection. He supports codifying reproductive rights into federal law through the Women's Health Protection Act and has pledged to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. To address the cost of living, he supports tax relief for the middle class, including the expansion of the SALT deduction, and advocates for investment in local aerospace and green energy jobs. His immigration platform emphasizes securing the border with advanced technology and increased personnel while supporting comprehensive reform. Additionally, Whitesides has focused on environmental issues, specifically wildfire mitigation and the closure of hazardous landfill sites, and he supports ethical reforms such as a ban on congressional stock trading.