LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrats and Republicans agreed on at least one thing before the November elections: California would play a central role in determining control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
That indeed happened.
Democrat Adam Gray’s victory over Republican Rep. John Duarte on Tuesday in a Central Valley farming district — the last House of Representatives election this year — gave Democrats their third victory in a Republican Party-held seat in the state. a small victory in a difficult year for Democrats nationally.
Trusted news and daily treats, straight to your inbox
See for yourself: The Yodel is the source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
While Democratic victories narrowed the gap in the House of Representatives, Republicans held on in two other toss-up contests that helped the Republican Party defend its fragile majority in Washington. Republicans won 220 seats in the House of Representatives this election cycle, while Democrats held 215 seats.
Despite falling short of a majority, Democrats emphasized that the party will gain seats next year, leaving the House even more closely divided.
“Gaining three seats was a really big deal,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, the third-ranking Democrat in the House who lives in Washington’s Redlands, east of Los Angeles.
Democratic enthusiasm, however, was tempered by turnout numbers that lagged behind the 2020 presidential election in the heavily Democratic state, even as Kamala Harris led the Democratic party in her home state.
Republicans also made incremental gains in the state legislature. Voters overwhelmingly backed a ballot proposal that would make shoplifting a crime again for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges amid frustration over retail crime, a proposal some Democrats oppose.
The election showed that Democrats will have to pay more attention to issues like crime and the cost of living, even in a state where the party holds every statewide office and dominates the legislative and congressional delegation, said political scientist Jack Pitney of Claremont McKenna College.
In the House of Representatives, Democrats “hoped that California would push them over the top to gain a majority. But their gains elsewhere were not strong enough,” Pitney added, pointing to Republican Party victories in North Carolina.
Gray won by a margin of less than 200 votes, with election officials reporting Tuesday that all ballots had been counted.
Duarte captured the seat in 2022 when he defeated Gray by one of the nation’s largest margins, 564 votes. He was often cited as one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House of Representatives, given the slim margin of victory in a Democratic-leaning district — about 11 points over registered Republicans.
Gray said in a statement: “We always knew this race would be as close as it could get, and we expect a photo finish this year as well.”
In other Democratic House gains, primary candidate Derek Tran ousted Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in a Southern California district anchored in Orange County, while Democrat George Whitesides toppled the Republican Rep. Mike Garcia is a district north of Los Angeles.
In a district east of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert again held off Democrat Will Rollins in a repeat of their 2022 contest. And Republican Rep. David Valadao maintained his hold on a farm-belt seat despite the heavy Democratic registration advantage.
The outcome will give Republicans nine of the 52 seats in the US House of Representatives next year.
Although California is often seen as a liberal monolith, a series of House districts have proven volatile in recent elections, highlighting their importance to both parties. The Democrats took seven seats from the Republicans in 2018, and the Republicans took four from the Democrats in 2020.
In the 2022 elections, Republicans gained one seat, from 11 to 12, while Democrats fell from 42 to 40 seats, after California lost a House seat in redistricting following the 2020 census. Overall, the state dropped from 53 to 52 districts.
The state played a crucial role in securing the gavel for Republicans in 2022 and appointing Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield as speaker.
