George Whitesides, California

George Whitesides is a Democratic U.S. Representative serving California’s 27th Congressional District since 2025. A Princeton and Cambridge graduate, he served as Chief of Staff at NASA during the Obama administration — earning NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal — and then spent a decade as CEO of Virgin Galactic, growing the company from a small team into a global aerospace firm and creating over 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley. He co-founded Megafire Action, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the wildfire crisis, and in Congress serves on the Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology committees, focusing on wildfire resilience, aerospace innovation, and job creation.