Republican Peter Sundin Soule is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s 16th Congressional District. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
The district includes Palo Alto. His opponent is Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo, according to BallotReady election data.
The Palo Alto Ledger candidate questionnaire was sent to Peter Soulé’s campaign. No response was received as of Oct. 12, 2026. The policy positions below are drawn from his public campaign website and public records.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, California’s 16th Congressional District
- Education: Bachelor of arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master of business administration in finance from Golden Gate University, according to his campaign website.
- Family and career background: His campaign biography states that his grandfather, Edward Lee Soule Sr., founded Soule Steel in 1911 in response to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Soule worked in the family business in commercial property management, accounting and finance, and the Architectural Products Division.
- Endorsements: The California Republican Party announced its endorsement. His campaign website also lists endorsements from the Silicon Valley Association of Conservative Republicans and David Johnson, chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party.
Experience and public service
According to his campaign biography, Soule has served on the Santa Clara County Republican Party Central Committee as an elected member or alternate since 2005 and as a delegate to the California Republican Party. He also served on the San Jose Civil Service Commission from 2007 to 2011.
On the issues
The following positions come from Soule’s campaign website.
Housing: Soule proposes banning large financial institutions from buying single-family homes and shielding baby boomers from capital gains tax when they sell their homes. He argues these measures would reduce housing costs in California.
Immigration: Soule supports withholding federal funding from cities with sanctuary policies that he says prevent the deportation of people convicted of crimes who are in the country illegally. He also proposes reforming the H-1B work-visa program to favor hiring Americans and withholding federal highway funds from states that issue commercial driver’s licenses to people who cannot read English and obey traffic laws.
Energy and environment: Soule proposes removing restrictions on oil drilling and refinery construction in California to lower energy costs. He also supports increasing water storage capacity, arguing that lower water costs for farmers would make food more affordable.
Education: Soule supports school choice, parental rights and vocational training opportunities for children. He would limit federal funding to schools with curricula focused on reading, writing, math and what he calls “a fair and balanced teaching of American history.”
Taxes and spending: Soule calls for ending waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending. His campaign cites Rep. Kevin Kiley’s efforts to end federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project.
