LOS ANGELES (AP) — The results of a series of closely matched California House elections that could take control of the House of Representatives as millions of votes remained uncounted in the United States’ most populous state were announced Friday. It remained unstable.
More than a dozen intrastate races followed, but only a handful were deemed tight enough to go in either direction. He needs 218 seats to control the House of Representatives. Republicans have so far blocked 211, while Democrats have claimed 200.
It could take days or even weeks to decide who will receive the gavel next year.
Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield will replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if Democrats fail to maintain a majority. of San Francisco.
In California, the main battlefield is Orange County. Orange County is a sprawling suburb southeast of Los Angeles that was once a stronghold of the Republican Party but has become increasingly diverse and democratic. — and the inland Central Valley, sometimes called the country’s salad bowl for agricultural production.
In the Orange County area, which is roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, former Republican Rep. Scott Boe and Democratic Rep. Katie Porter have battled it out.
The returns showed Porter extending her paltry lead to 4,555 votes, or 48.8% from Bo’s 51.2%. Previously, Porter’s lead was around 3,000 votes.
In another close race in a Democratic-leaning neighborhood north of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Mike Garcia slightly dented his comfortable edge over Democratic challenger Christy Smith. His margin remained at his 12 points of 56% to 44%.
Democrats have long dominated the California legislative delegation. Next year, the number of seats will be reduced from 53 to 52. This is because population growth has stagnated.
In the current term, Republicans hold just 11 of the 53 seats.
Due to the incomplete count, the Republicans have claimed six races so far and have led in the other six.
Democrats won 30 seats and led in 10 other elections. In two of those races, only Democrats participated in the vote. That means the party will control those seats.
However, many uncertainties remained. As of Thursday, statewide, he has nearly five million votes uncounted.
East of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert regained the lead after overtaking Democrat Will Rollins. With about half the votes, Calvert trailed him by one point. Calvert was first elected in 1992, making him the longest-serving Republican on the California legislative delegation.
In Central Valley’s 22nd District, where nearly half the votes were tallied, Democrat Rudy Salas edged out Republican Rep. David Valadao, who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump. The two are separated by 5 points after Valadao had an advantage of over 8 points earlier.
In a competitive neighborhood rooted in San Diego County, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin has seen his edge grow slightly over Republican businessman Brian Marriott. Levin has about two-thirds of the votes he receives, a four-point lead.
President Joe Biden was in the district on the final day of the campaign in hopes of boosting Levin’s chances.
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