More than a dozen races in the state remained in play, though only a few were considered tight enough to go either way. 218 seats are needed to control the Parliament. Republicans had long locked in 211, with Democrats claiming 200. It could take days, or even weeks, to determine who gets the hammer next year. Should Democrats fail to protect their slim majority, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield will be in line to replace Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. In California, the main battlegrounds are Orange County — a suburban stretch southeast of Los Angeles that was once a GOP stronghold but has become increasingly diverse and Democratic — and the Central Valley, an inland region sometimes called the country’s salad bowl for its agricultural production. One of the tightest races pitted Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, a star of the party’s progressive wing, against Republican Scott Baugh, a former lawmaker, in an Orange County district about equally split between Democrats and Republicans. Returns showed Porter widening her narrow lead to 4,555 votes, or 51.2 percent to Baugh’s 48.8 percent. Earlier, Porter’s lead was about 3,000 votes. In another close contest in a Democratic-leaning district north of Los Angeles, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia saw his comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Christy Smith slip slightly. His margin remained at 12 points, 56% to 44%. Democrats have long dominated California’s congressional delegation, which is shrinking to 52 seats next year from 53 because its population growth has stalled, though it remains the largest in Congress. In the current term, Republicans hold only 11 of the 53 seats in the heavily Democratic state. As the count is not complete, Republicans have claimed six races so far and are ahead in six others. Democrats collected victories in 30 seats and led in 10 other contests. In two of those races, only Democrats were on the ballot, meaning the party will control those seats. But much uncertainty remained. As of Thursday, nearly 5 million ballots remained uncounted across the state. East of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert regained the lead over Democrat Will Rollins. With about half the votes counted, Calvert had a 1-point lead. Calvert, first elected in 1992, is the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation. In the Central Valley’s 22nd District, where about half the votes have been counted, an update showed Democrat Rudy Salas closing in on Republican Rep. David Valladao, who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump. The two share 5 points, after Valadao earlier had an advantage of more than 8 points. In a competitive district located in San Diego County, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin saw his lead increase slightly over Republican businessman Brian Marriott. Levin has a 4-point margin, with about two-thirds of the vote coming together. President Joe Biden has been in the area in the final days of the campaign in hopes of boosting Levin’s chances.
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