Republicans Flip Coastal OC Congressional Seat from Democrats as Harley Rouda Concedes
Politics & Elections
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Orange County Republicans cemented a victory in flipping back a Congressional seat they lost in 2018.
Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/48th-congressional-district/)
Orange County Republicans cemented a victory in flipping back a Congressional seat they lost in 2018.
Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda is battling GOP county Supervisor Michelle Steel for the coastal Congressional district.
Voters in Orange County’s four key Congressional districts likely will be deciding in November whether to re-elect the incumbent Democrats or oust them in favor of a Republican, according to the latest primary results posted Wednesday.
Republicans had early leads in at least two of the four contested Congressional districts in Orange County, according early returns. Ballots will continue to be counted throughout the week.
Orange County’s 420,000 registered No Party Preference voters are crucial to the 2020 elections because their share of the electorate has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, while Republicans have been bleeding numbers and Democrats made modest increases.
Orange County Republicans need to distance themselves from President Donald Trump to regain the offices they lost in November and Democrats can’t overplay their hand in order to keep the legislative seats they gained heading into 2020, according to policy and elections specialists.
Democrat candidate Harley Rouda was leading the incumbent Republican by 4 percentage points in the latest count Saturday evening, with an estimated 69 percent of the ballots counted.
Democratic challenger Harley Rouda was virtually tied with nearly 30-year Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), after Rouda’s small lead slightly increased to two points, or 3,602 votes, according to Wednesday’s updated count.
Rouda fundraised $7.3 million, while Rohrabacher raised $2.4 million, according to the Federal Elections Commission website.
Longtime Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) and Democratic candidate Harley Rouda are tied in the 48th Congressional district race, according to a poll from the New York Times.