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Quick facts for kids Sara Jacobs
Official portrait, 2021

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Susan Davis
Constituency	53rd district (2021–2023) 51st district (2023–present)

Personal details
Born	Sara Josephine Jacobs (1989-02-01) February 1, 1989 (age 36) Del Mar, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Relatives	Gary E. Jacobs (father) Irwin M. Jacobs (grandfather) Paul E. Jacobs (uncle)
Education	Columbia University (BA, MIA)
Website

Sara Josephine Jacobs (born February 1, 1989) is an American politician. She has been a U.S. Representative for California since 2021. From 2021 to 2023, she represented the 53rd congressional district. Since 2023, she has represented the 51st district.

Her district includes parts of San Diego and nearby towns like El Cajon and La Mesa. Sara Jacobs is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the youngest person from California in the U.S. Congress. She is also the youngest member of the Democratic House leadership.

Early Life and Education

Sara Jacobs was born in Del Mar, California, on February 1, 1989. She grew up in San Diego. She went to Torrey Pines High School.

After high school, she attended Columbia University. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2011. In 2012, she received a master's degree in international relations.

Career Before Congress

After college, Sara Jacobs worked for the United Nations. She also worked for UNICEF, which helps children around the world. In 2014, she started working for the United States Department of State.

Later, she was a policy advisor for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. After the election, Jacobs started a group called San Diego for Every Child. This group works to end child poverty in San Diego.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Sara Jacobs has been a U.S. Representative since January 3, 2021. She is known for being a strong voice for her community.

Elections to Congress

2018 Election

In 2018, Sara Jacobs ran for Congress in California's 49th district. She was a Democrat. She finished third in the primary election.

2020 Election

In 2020, Jacobs ran for Congress in California's 53rd district. She won the primary election. Then, she defeated Georgette Gómez in the general election in November. She became the youngest U.S. Representative from California when she took office.

During her campaigns, Jacobs received a lot of financial support from her grandfather. She was one of the candidates who used a lot of her own money for her campaign in 2020.

2022 Election

After new district maps were drawn, Jacobs ran in California's 51st congressional district in 2022. She won against Republican Stan Caplan. She received about 62% of the votes.

Key Work in Congress

In 2022, Sara Jacobs wrote a bill to protect personal health data. This included information from apps that track health. Senators Mazie Hirono and Ron Wyden introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

On July 19, 2022, Jacobs was arrested at a protest. She was supporting women's health choices outside the United States Supreme Court Building.

In 2022, Jacobs introduced a bill to rename a post office in San Diego. It was named after Andrew Jackson. She wanted to rename it after her predecessor, Susan A. Davis. The bill became law on December 27, 2022. A ceremony was held on July 7, 2023, to put up a new plaque with Davis's name.

Committee Roles

For the 118th Congress, Sara Jacobs serves on important committees:

Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations
- Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Africa (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Groups She Belongs To

Sara Jacobs is part of several groups in Congress. These groups are called caucuses. They help members work together on shared interests.

Congressional Equality Caucus (Vice Chair)
Black Maternal Health Caucus
Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
New Democrat Coalition
Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
Medicare for All Caucus

Political Views

Sara Jacobs is a progressive Democrat. This means she supports policies that aim to improve society and help people. She often votes in line with President Joe Biden's positions.

Protecting the Environment

Climate Change

Jacobs believes climate change is a major threat to humanity. She wants the U.S. to have a clean energy economy by 2030. This means using energy sources that do not harm the environment.

Foreign Policy Views

Africa

Jacobs is concerned about conflicts in Africa. She believes that good governance is more important than military solutions. She was among the first members of Congress to visit Sudanese refugees at the border.

Peace in the Middle East

Jacobs has spoken about the need for peace in the Middle East. She has called for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to reach people in need. She believes in helping all parties respect agreements. She also works to ensure that people have the help they need to rebuild their lives. In April 2025, she joined other Democrats in calling for a review of U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. She also voted for a bill that provided both humanitarian aid and military aid.

Syria

In March 2023, Jacobs voted for a resolution. This resolution asked President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Ukraine

In July 2023, President Joe Biden decided to send certain types of weapons to Ukraine. This was to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian forces. Sara Jacobs did not agree with this decision.

Government and Economy

Democratic House Leadership

In 2022, Jacobs supported Nancy Pelosi continuing as the Democratic leader in the House.

Tax Policy

Jacobs wants to change tax laws. She wants to undo tax cuts for wealthy people. She believes that everyone, including large companies, should pay their fair share of taxes.

Health Care

Jacobs supports Medicare for All. This is a plan to provide health care for everyone in the country.

COVID-19 Response

Jacobs criticized the previous administration's handling of COVID-19. She wants to make sure that businesses and individuals are held responsible if they try to overcharge for medical supplies during a crisis.

Reproductive Data Privacy

Jacobs has written about the importance of protecting personal health data. She supports a law called the My Body, My Data Act. This law would create national rules to protect private health information.

Social Issues

Families and Children

Jacobs supports laws that help working families with child care. She wants to ensure child care workers are paid well. She also co-leads a bill to create a federally funded network of local child care centers.

Immigration

Jacobs supports giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. She also supports the DREAM Act. This act helps young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. She wants to improve the immigration court system and reduce delays. She also believes in modernizing border security. Jacobs opposes separating families at the border. She wants to end funding for private detention centers. She also supports the U.S. accepting more refugees each year.

Personal Life

Sara Jacobs lives in the Kensington neighborhood of San Diego. She is Jewish.

She has been in a relationship with Ammar Campa-Najjar since 2019. He is also a former Democratic candidate for Congress.