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Politics Nov 12, 2024
Rep. Mike Garcia, left, and George Whitesides are vying for the 27th District's seat in the House. | Photos courtesy of Representative Mike Garcia/Facebook and George Whitesides/X
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Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, conceded the 27th Congressional District race in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys to Democrat George Whitesides on Monday.
Whitesides gained 2,253 more votes in the latest count of previously unprocessed ballots, padding his lead over Garcia by 6,983. Totals posted Monday afternoon were 147,567-140,584 in favor of Whitesides, or 51.21%-48.79% of the vote, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff, led by 4,730 votes when Sunday’s count concluded and 2,114 votes following Saturday’s tally. He initially trailed Garcia by 973 votes on Friday, 3,240 on Thursday and 4,767 after Wednesday’s vote counting ceased.
“I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcia said in a statement.
“Representing the people of California’s 27th Congressional District the last 4.5 years has been an honor of a lifetime. I want to thank my family for making the sacrifices, and my team and my volunteers for working harder than any other team in the nation during this journey of providence,” Garcia said. “We achieved so much in a short period of time. We truly made history and saved lives. I’m proud of all we’ve done.”
Whitesides issued a statement following Garcia’s concession:
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be elected to serve our district in Congress and deliver for the Santa Clarita, the Antelope Valley, and the San Fernando Valley.
“Rep. Garcia called me earlier to concede race and I thanked him for his years of service to our district and to the nation.
“In Congress, you can count on me to fight to create more good local jobs, lower everyday costs, build safe communities, protect Social Security and Medicare and protect reproductive freedom,” Whitesides said.
Southern California’s closest congressional race is in Orange County’s 47th District, where state Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, held a 3,214-vote lead over Republican Scott Baugh following vote counting Monday, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Min added 501 votes Monday to his lead over the former assemblyman and is ahead with 154,907 votes compared with Baugh’s 151,693, or 50.5%-49.5%,
Min had led by 2,713 votes after Saturday’s count and on 1,078 Friday after he trailed by 616 votes following Thursday’s count and 1,133 Wednesday.
Min and Baugh are vying for the House seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Dianne Feinstein. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, handily won the Senate seat in Tuesday’s election over Republican Steve Garvey, a former infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
In the region’s second-closest race for a seat in Congress, Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Cypress, leads Democrat Derek Tran by 3,908 votes in the 45th Congressional District, 143,184-139,276, 50.7-49.3%.
Steel led by 6,128 votes after Sunday’s count, 6,901 Saturday and 7,590 Friday in the mainly Orange County district that also contains Hawaiian Gardens and Artesia in LA County.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, claimed victory Monday in Riverside County’s 41st District. The latest count gave Calvert a 7,548-vote lead over Democrat Will Rollins, pushing the latest tally to 153,106-145,558, or 51.3%-48.7%.
Rollins’ campaign manager Coby Eiss said in a statement to City News Service the race was “too close to call,” adding that “there could be at least 80,000 votes to be counted.”
Entering Monday’s resumption ballot counting after a day off Sunday, Calvert was ahead by 7,880 votes in his run for a 17th term. The tally was 143,621-135,741 votes, or 51.4%-48.6%.
In the 49th District, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, gained 2,888 votes Monday over Republican Matt Gunderson to move ahead by 14,045. The total tally so far is 179,184-165,139 votes, or 52%-48%. Levin led by 11,157 after Saturday’s count for 51.7%-48.3% of the vote.
Gunderson is ahead at Orange County polls, but Levin leads in San Diego County.
The number of ballots remaining to count in the congressional races was unclear.
According to the Associated Press on Tuesday morning, Republicans led Democrats for control of the House 214 seats to 205. The number of seats required for a majority is 218.
In the Senate, Republicans won a 53-47 majority. Republicans gained four Senate seats and Democrats lost four.
