LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rival candidates were tight Tuesday in a series of hotly contested U.S. House districts in California, where the outcome could be crucial in determining which party controls the chamber next year.

Early partial results highlighted close races in a handful of districts stretching from Southern California to the Central Valley farm belt, where Democrats and Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars to influence voters.

The focus was on a half-dozen races that were generally considered blown. Many of the votes were still to be counted, but Republicans had a slight lead in all of them early Wednesday, in some cases by just a fraction of votes.

Kamala Harris easily carried her home state of California in her losing presidential bid, but incomplete results showed Donald Trump outperforming his 2020 election performance, even in the famously left-leaning state.

Two years ago the State played a role fundamental role to secure the gavel to the Republicans. Now only a handful of votes separate the rival parties in the House, with 220 Republicans, 212 Democrats and three vacancies.

vote counting it can take weeks in California, where most voters use mail-in voting, and sometimes for longer. The heavy reliance on mail-in ballots (each voter receives one) results in a time-consuming recount because each one must be opened, validated and processed individually, among other time-consuming requirements. In the last five general elections, California has tabulated an average of 38% of its vote after Election Day.

The election comes at a time when voters are concerned about inflation, housing costs and a prolonged homelessness crisis. Polls have found that most voters say the state is headed in the wrong direction.

Democrats have long dominated government in the nation’s most populous state, where they hold every statewide office, have dominant margins in the Legislature and the congressional delegation, and outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2 to 1 across the board. the state. The last Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in that state was in 1988.

But pockets of conservative strength remain, and Republicans hold 12 of California’s 52 House seats. Republicans have been fading in California for years, but the state has emerged again as an unlikely national battleground for control of the House.

The most competitive races are in Republican-controlled districts that then-candidate Joe Biden won in 2020.

Democrats are likely to benefit from high turnout in a presidential election year with a vice president. Kamala Harrisformer U.S. senator from California and state attorney general, tops the party ticket. But it’s less clear how that will play out in closely divided swing districts.

The key races:

Former Navy pilot defends district north of Los Angeles

Rep. Mike Garcia is in another tough race. The last Republican congressman anchored in the heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, García, a former navy pilot who flew more than 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, has demonstrated an astonishing ability to overcome the odds in a district with an 11-point advantage in Democratic registration.

This time he is being challenged by Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who has the support of national Democrats.

Incomplete results showed the two candidates in a close race.

The once conservative District 27 runs through suburbs and high desert north of Los Angeles. García, supporter of former president donald trump With a conservative voting record, he first won election campaigning against California’s liberal-leaning government: “I don’t want my country to become what my state has become,” he said at the time.

Whitesides, who was also CEO of Virgin Galactic, says he would use his business experience to solve problems. He has highlighted García’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him extremist. Garcia issued a statement to clarify his position: “I oppose a national abortion ban (California’s abortion law remains the law) and support exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.”

National Republicans have run ads attacking the Whitesides as soft on crime. Garcia, like other Republican candidates, has been criticizing his rival and other Democrats over inflation and taxes.

An open seat in what was once “Reagan country”

The 47th District, which includes Huntington Beach and other famous surf spots, is represented by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, a progressive favorite who narrowly defeated former Republican lawmaker Scott Baugh. in 2022.

Porter stepped aside to mount a U.S. Senate bid that fell short, and Baugh is making another bid for the seat, this time against Democratic lawmaker Dave Min.

The first results showed that the candidates were very similar.

Orange County was once considered key conservative territory, a key pillar in the rise of the Reagan revolution. But the county southeast of Los Angeles has become more demographically diverse and Democratic over time, like much of California. It is now split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans, and national Republicans have called the seat a top House target.

Min’s ads call Baugh a pro-Trump “extremist” who would jeopardize abortion rights. Baugh says Min’s “extreme liberal views” are out of step with those of the district.

California House’s longest-serving Republican wants another term

Rep. Ken Calvert is the longest-serving Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, first elected in 1992. Two years ago he stopped Democrat Will Rollins, former federal prosecutor, in District 41, east of Los Angeles, by about 5 points. Rollins tries again.

Early incomplete results showed Calvert and Rollins in a close contest.

The 41st is roughly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. The race is a priority for both parties, and Porter and former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer have been among high-profile Democrats raising money for Rollins.

National Republicans have been calling Rollins a “liberal extreme.” Calvert has the advantages of holding the office, but his conservative credentials and support from Trump could be disadvantages in a district that includes many transplanted residents of Los Angeles and the city of Palm Springs, which has a large concentration of LGBTQ+ voters. Rollins is gay.

Farm Belt Republican defends seat in Democratic territory

Rep. David Valadao is an anomaly: a Republican elected in a heavily Democratic district in a heavily Democratic state.

According to the numbers, the Central Valley’s 22nd District should be a stronghold for Democrats, who have a 14-point advantage over Republicans in registration. But Valadao has kept control in the seat despite facing large registration deficits.

Democrat Rudy Salas, who lost to Valadao in 2022, is trying again this year.

The first unofficial results showed that Valadao was taking advantage.

Valadao held the seat from 2013 to 2019, losing it for one term and then regaining it in a 2020 rematch with Democrat TJ Cox.

In a region sometimes called America’s salad bowl for its vast agricultural production, Valadao has been emphasizing its efforts to secure more water for farmers and its willingness to work across both parties, while portraying Salas as an imposing Democrat. taxes and spends. “David has ignored partisan bickering and demonstrated his commitment to local priorities,” his campaign said in a fundraising speech.

Salas, considered a moderate, has said Valadao is a Trump supporter posing as a centrist. In Congress, he says, he will fight for lower drug prices, greater health care and clean water, the lack of which is a chronic problem in some rural communities.

After a victory by 564 votes in 2022, a rematch

Republican Representative John Duarte captured his agricultural seat belt in 2022 over Democrat Adam Gray by one of the narrowest margins in the country, 564 votes. Now they are in a rematch in District 13 of the Central Valley.

The incomplete results showed the two could be headed for another close finish.

Duarte is often among the most vulnerable House Republicans, given his narrow margin of victory. Another factor is the district’s Democratic leaning: about 11 points higher than registered Republicans.

There is a large Latino population, similar to other Central Valley districts, but the most likely voters statewide tend to be white, older and wealthier homeowners. Working-class voters, including many Latinos, are less consistent in going to the polls.

Both candidates have been emphasizing bipartisan credentials.

Duarte, a businessman and large producer of grapes and almonds, has said his priorities include curbing inflation, crime rates and getting adequate water supplies to farmers in the drought-prone state.

Gray, a former legislator, has criticized the state’s water management, putting water and agriculture at the top of his list of issues. He also says he wants improvements in infrastructure, renewable energy and education.

District created to empower Asians faces another tough fight

Republican representative. Michelle Steela South Korean immigrant, is running for a third term in a Southern California district designed specifically to give Asian Americans a stronger voice in Washington. Asian Americans, including the country’s largest Vietnamese community, are the largest group in District 45, which is anchored in Orange County.

Steel won for the first time in 2020 and then again in 2022, by a 5-point margin. This year he faces lawyer and labor rights advocate Derek Tran, the son of Vietnamese refugees.

The two were locked in a tight race, according to the first incomplete results.

Democrats have a 4-point registration advantage in the district.

In Congress, Steel has been vocal in his resistance to tax increases and says he strongly supports Israel in its war against Hamas. “As our greatest ally in the Middle East, the United States must always support Israel,” he said in a recent email. He has advocated for increased police funding and highlighted his efforts against domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Tran has warned of Republican threats to abortion rights: Steel opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, although she does not support a federal ban. Tran also says that Trump’s return to the White House would put democracy at risk.

In a campaign marked by its unpleasant tone, each candidate accused the other of unethical behavior. The race will be watched nationally for clues about the preferences of Asian American voters.

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