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What you need to know
Democrats control all of California’s major state offices and outnumber Republicans by a 2-to-1 margin in registered representation, but that means little in the region’s U.S. House races. There are several races that could play a role in determining the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives, but adding to the uncertainty, several California Republicans represent districts won by President Biden in 2020. It becomes.
Control of the U.S. House of Representatives could come down to several key races decided by Southern California voters.
Now that the dust has settled on the California primary in March, more candidates are competing for votes in races, with the top two finishers in each race going to the runoff in November.
Democrats control all major statewide offices and outnumber Republicans in California by a 2-to-1 margin, but there is strong support for Republican candidates in parts of Southern California. There is. Adding to the uncertainty, several California Republicans represent districts won by President Biden in 2020, making the region a wild card player in the makeup of the U.S. House of Representatives.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for election in 2024. The number of Republicans is 220, and the number of Democrats is 212. There are three vacant seats.
Here are some of the key U.S. House races in Southern California, along with the results of the March primary.
US House of Representatives District 27
U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia defeated Democrat Christy Smith by 6 percentage points in 2022 in this district north of Los Angeles, maintaining his progress from the March primary. Former Virgin Galactic CEO George Whiteside finished second in the primary and won the general election in one of five California districts that voted for Joe Biden in 2020. will be challenging his current position.
It is also the district where Republican Brian Dahle narrowly favored Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2020 gubernatorial election.
Garcia, who served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve, was first elected in a special election in 2020. The special election was called after Democrat Katie Hill, who defeated the Republican in 2018, resigned amid a sex scandal. Smith was re-elected in the 2022 election, 53.2 percent to 46.8 percent.
Whitesides served as NASA chief of staff in the Obama administration.
The northern Los Angeles County area includes Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale, and other high desert areas.
US House of Representatives District 40
Republican Rep. Yong Kim is serving his second term after winning the district by a 14-point margin two years ago. Kim was one of three Korean-American women first elected to Congress in 2020 and served two years in the California State Assembly.
Kim will face former fire chief and union president Joe Carr in the November election. Mr. Carr worked for the Orange County Fire Department for more than 30 years. He was also president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association union. Carr unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat in 2022 and for the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2018.
The district includes parts of Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. The 40th District includes the communities of Aliso Viejo, Corona, Chino Hills, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Tustin and Villa Park.
In 2020, President Biden narrowly won the district.
In 2020, President Biden narrowly won the district. As of September, registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats in the district by 38% to 34%.
US House of Representatives District 41
This vast Congressional district in Riverside County is headed for a rematch. Longtime Republican Rep. Ken Calvert won the election, defeating Democrat Will Rollins.
In the 2022 election, the difference between the two was less than 5 points.
Calvert is the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation, having held the seat east of Los Angeles since 1993. Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, will have another chance to unseat the incumbent in November.
Of note: Since the last election, Palm Springs has been added to this district.
The district also includes Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Rancho Mirage, most of Corona, and Palm Desert.
US House of Representatives District 45
Congresswoman Michelle Steele easily emerged from the primary race against four Democrats, including veteran civil rights attorney Derek Tran, who came in second in the primary. In a crowded primary, Mr. Tran received just 16% of the vote, compared to Mr. Steele’s 55 votes.
The district supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, but voted for Republican John Cox over Gavin Newsom in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Although there are more registered Democrats than Republicans, Steele defeated the Democrats in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.
The 45th District, which Steele was re-elected to in 2022 with 52.4% of the vote, includes parts of Orange County and Los Angeles County. The district includes Garden Grove, Westminster, Buena Park, and Artesia. Brea, Lakewood, Fullerton, and parts of Yorba Linda are in the C-shaped district surrounding Anaheim.
US House of Representatives District 47
This once solidly Republican district, which stretches from coastal Orange County in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach to inland Irvine, is the only open House seat among California’s most competitive districts. . The seat was vacated by Katie Porter, who was running for the U.S. Senate, but she did not advance after the March primary and is not seeking re-election.
Scott Baugh and Democratic state Sen. Dave Ming, who lost to Porter by less than four points in 2022, will face a runoff. Bo won the primary with 32% of the vote. Min came in second place with just under 26%, with the remaining votes split among other candidates.
The district was represented by the Republican Party from its creation until Porter defeated the then-Republican representative. Mimi Walters in 2018.
US House of Representatives District 49
Democratic Rep. Mike Levin has advanced to defend his seat in this Southern California district, which includes parts of Orange and San Diego counties.
Voters chose Levin in 2018 to replace longtime Republican Darrell Issa, who has since returned to Congress in a neighboring district. Levin has since been re-elected twice, by six points in 2020 and by five points in 2022.
This time, he will face a challenge from Republican Matt Gunderson, a car dealership owner who unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2022. Mr. Gunderson served as chairman of the Mission Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and was a member of the Saddleback College Foundation Board of Directors.
Cities within this district include Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Encinitas, as well as southern Orange County communities such as San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, and Ladera Ranch.
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