In California, several competitive House races still in play

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Partial returns Tuesday showed closely matched contests in a string of competitive California U.S. House races that will play into control of Congress next year.

As voting ended across the country Republicans were optimistic they would gain a solid majority in the House but Democrats showed surprising strength and by Wednesday morning the balance of power was still in question. Overall in the House, there are 220 Democrats, 212 Republicans and three vacancies.

In California the GOP believed as many as five districts in the state could swing their way — enough to give the GOP the House gavel in a midterm-election year when voters typically punish the party that holds the White House. Should that happen, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield would be in line to replace Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

For their part, Democrats were eager to claw back four House districts they surrendered in 2020 and hope to gain more to pad their dominance in the state congressional delegation. Republicans hold only 11 of the state’s 53 seats, which drops to 52 seats next year because California’s once-soaring population growth has stalled.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS 2022: LIVE UPDATES

Early tabulations established no clear patterns for either party in the tightest races.

In a marquee race in Orange County, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, a star of the party’s progressive wing, took an early double-digit lead but by midnight she and Republican Scott Baugh and were divided by less than a percentage point with nearly half the votes still to be uncounted.

The stakes were spotlighted last week, when President Joe Biden traveled to Southern California to campaign on behalf of endangered Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, whose district straddles Orange and San Diego counties. It was Biden's second trip to California in less than three weeks. Meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Los Angeles for a rally Monday to urge Democratic voters to get to the polls.

Levin opened up a 5-point advantage over Maryott in early returns.

It wasn’t immediately clear if a day of rainy, windy weather across California dampened prospects for Republicans, who were expected to see a large Election Day turnout at polling places after former President Donald Trump’s repeated, unfounded attacks on the security of mail ballots and election integrity.

In the Central Valley, Rep. David Valadao, one of two Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump who could be reelected, had an early edge over Democrat Rudy Salas with just a sprinkle of mail votes counted.

Competitive districts are something of a rarity in heavily Democratic California and cut against its national reputation as a liberal stronghold. But pockets of conservative strength remain, even as Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 statewide edge in voter registrations.

The contests were fought over issues that are shaping races around the country.

Democrats stressed abortion rights and labeled GOP rivals "extremists" in a party still largely under the sway of Trump. Republican candidates faulted Biden and a Democratic Congress for inflation, rising crime and the long-running homeless crisis.

The key races:

Trump Supporter Seeks Third Upset North Of Democratic Los Angeles

U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia is the only Republican member of Congress in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Despite a Democratic tilt in his district, the former Navy combat pilot has won two consecutive elections, but the last two years ago was by just 333 votes.

He faced an even tougher challenge this year after his district – the 27th -- was redrawn and became more Democratic. Democrat Christy Smith was on the ballot for the third time, after two losses to Garcia.

Pictured: Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., speaks during the news conference on the Invest to Protect Act outside the Capitol on May 12, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Garcia grabbed a nearly 4-point edge in a partial tally of mail-in votes. An estimated two-thirds of the ballots were uncounted.

Smith, a former legislator, spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights and depicted him as out of step with the district: He was endorsed by Trump in his 2020 contest, then joined House Republicans who rejected electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania and opposed Trump’s impeachment after the Capitol insurrection.

Garcia highlighted his military service and pointed to his vote supporting $2,000 stimulus checks during the pandemic as one example of his political independence. The district includes a large number of veterans and is home to defense industries.

A Longtime Republican Looks To Hold On In Changed District

Republican Rep. Ken Calvert has held his seat east of Los Angeles for nearly three decades. But the once-a-decade redrawing of district boundaries landed him in a battleground — the 41st District — where the registration is about equally split between Republicans and Democrats.

He’s a familiar name and the longest-serving Republican in the California congressional delegation. He had a fundraising advantage, but his support fromTrump posed complications in a district that now includes many transplanted Los Angeles residents and liberal Palm Springs, which has a large concentration of LGBTQ voters.

His home city, Corona, is the largest in the district, and he touted his clout on the Appropriations Committee that enables him to bring home federal dollars for transportation and water projects.

He faced Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor who is gay. Rollins called Calvert an extremist and placed safeguarding democracy and protecting abortion and LGBTQ rights among his priorities.

Rollins had a 13-point lead in early tabulations.

Swing District Voters Get Sharp Contrast In Candidates

Voters in coastal Orange County had a stark choice in selecting their next member of Congress.

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, a national progressive star, faced Republican Scott Baugh, a former state legislative leader and past head of the county GOP, in the 47th District that includes Huntington Beach and swaths of suburban terrain.

Porter grabbed an early lead of nearly 12 points but the race quickly tightened, leaving them virtually tied,

Baugh pounded on economic issues, including inflation and gas prices. He recently tweeted a picture of a gas station sign with prices topping $7 a gallon and wrote, "Biden has done nothing to stop this madness."

Porter is a prolific fundraiser and pumped over $24 million into the contest, compared to about $2 million for Baugh. She’ stressed abortion rights and her work as a consumer advocate, including fighting "abusive" credit card fees. Both candidates depicted each other as extreme.

It was a shock in 2016 when then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton captured Orange County, a place long synonymous with conservative politics. The county that was once largely white and Republican has grown demographically diverse and increasingly Democratic. With Biden unpopular nationally, the race will test the depth of that transformation.

Resilient Republican Seeks Another Surprise In Farm Belt

Republican Rep. David Valadao has persevered in a district with a strong Democratic tilt, and now is one of two Republicans who voted to impeach Trump who could be reelected.

Democrats hold a staggering 17-point registration edge in the 22nd District in the state’s farm belt. But Valadao has highlighted a bipartisan streak to win in left-leaning districts before. He held his seat from 2013 until January 2019, lost it for a term, then won it back in a 2020 rematch with Democrat T.J. Cox.

He’s faced Democrat Rudy Salas in a newly redrawn district. Salas, a state assemblyman who is considered a moderate, dueled with Valadao over gas taxes, the opioid overdose crisis and health care.

Valadao grabbed an early 4-point edge in initial returns.

In Challenging Year For Democrats, Gop Targets District On California Coast

Democratic Rep. Mike Levin carried his election two years ago by 6 points. But in a challenging year for Democrats nationally, Republicans looked for an upset in the coastal district that runs through Orange and San Diego counties.

Coastal California typically leans Democratic, but the race is seen as a toss-up. Democrats hold only a slight registration edge in the 49th District.

The risks for Levin were spotlighted in the final days of the campaign by Biden, who visited in hopes of bolstering the incumbent's chances. Biden warned that a Republican Congress would reshape America by cutting back on health care and upending abortion rights and retirement security.

Republican candidate Brian Maryott, a businessman and former San Juan Capistrano mayor who was defeated by Levin in 2020, highlighted pocketbook issues at a time of high inflation, climbing interest rates and gas prices that have cleared $7 a gallon. He also said he will resist "fringe socialist interests."

Levin focused heavily on veterans affairs, as well as climate change and the environment, in a district that straddles Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Early returns gave him a 5-point lead over Maryott.

NEGATIVE ADS, FINGERPOINTING, SHAPE RACE FOR DISTRICT WITH ASIAN TILT

In the 45th District anchored in Orange County, Republican Rep. Michelle Steel, a South Korean immigrant looking for a second term in Congress, and Democrat Jay Chen, a Navy reservist and the son of immigrants from Taiwan.

With less than half the votes counted, Steel had 55%.

The candidates initially made inflation and hate crimes against Asian Americans key issues. But the race took an ugly turn and most of it has focused on accusation and recrimination.

Chen’s advertising depicted Steel as an extremist who would threaten abortion rights, while Republicans accused Chen of "racism" after he told supporters an "interpreter" was needed to understand Steel’s remarks, arguing that Chen was mocking her accented English. Chen said he was referring to "convoluted talking points" that he said Steel uses to sidestep issues.

Steel also distributed flyers depicting Chen as a communist sympathizer, while Chen has his grandmother fled China to escape communist rule.

The race was being watched nationally for what it will say about the preferences of the Asian community.

The district was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans, who comprise the largest group in the district, a stronger voice on Capitol Hill. It has a Democratic registration edge and includes the nation’s largest Vietnamese community.

A Toss-up Race Takes Shape For Open Seat In Central Valley Farm Belt

A new district in the Central Valley has produced one of the closest contests this year.

The 13th District has a prominent Democratic tilt and a large Latino population, similar to other districts in the sprawling farm belt. But the most likely voters tend to be white, older, more affluent homeowners, while working-class voters, including many Latinos, are less consistent in getting to the polls.

That provided a possible opening for the GOP, despite the 14-point Democratic registration advantage.

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In early returns, Democrat Adam Gray opened up a slim edge over Republican John Duarte, 51.2% to 48.8%.

Duarte, a businessman and major grape and almond farmer, has spotlighted water supplies for farmers in the drought-wracked state — a perennial issue in the Central Valley — along with addressing inflation and crime.

Gray is known as a moderate in the state Assembly. In a region heavily dependent on agriculture, he’s been critical of state water management and puts water and agriculture at the top of his issues list. He has also stressed his willingness to work across party lines, and promised to make improvements in public safety and education.