Rep. Michelle Steel holds a 349-vote lead over Democratic challenger Derek Tran Thursday in the state’s closest congressional race, six days after leading by 7,590 votes in the 45th Congressional District.
Steel, R-Seal Beach, led by 7,590 votes after Friday’s count, 6,901 after Saturday’s, 6,128 after Sunday when only ballots from the Los Angeles County portion of the district were counted, 3,908 after Monday’s and 2,227 after Tuesday’s, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Steel leads 151,395-151,046, 50.1%-49.9%. She is ahead in Orange County, 136,855-132,378, 50.8%-49.2%, but trails in Los Angeles County, 18,668-14,540, 56.2%-43.8%.
Republican challenger Matt Gunderson conceded defeat Wednesday to Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, in the race for the 49th Congressional District straddling Orange and San Diego counties.
In a district that stretches from Del Mar to Laguna Niguel, Levin was leading 181,691-167,492, or 52%-48%, according to the latest tally of results from the Nov. 5 election.
The Associated Press, ABC and NBC all projected Levin as the winner on Tuesday when the latest voting tabulations were released.
On Wednesday morning, Gunderson, a car dealership owner, issued a statement congratulating Levin and thanking his supporters.
“I challenge Congressman Levin to set aside his partisan blinders and remember that the people of this district deserve leaders who are candid and transparent, who will fight for them, protect their opportunities, and help create an affordable California where they can prosper,” Gunderson said.
“I challenge Congressman Levin to stick to his word and be a true bipartisan leader in Washington that walks the same walk and talk at home that he does in DC. Californians deserve advocates, not politicians.”
Levin issued a statement late Tuesday hailing the “hard fought” victory.
“Among the top reasons for this win is my record of passing 30 bipartisan laws and bringing back more than $1 billion in funding for projects that are improving our quality of life,” Levin said. “I stand by my record and look forward to building on that progress.
“We still have work to do to lower costs, secure our borders, protect Social Security and Medicare, remove the nuclear waste at San Onofre, put more sand on our beaches, and much more. I am committed to working with my colleagues from both parties on commonsense bipartisan solutions to our pressing challenges. We must come together to deliver for all American families. Let’s get to work.”
Levin was among 40 Democrats targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House Republicans’ political arm. Levin ran his campaign for a fourth term with the slogan, “Commitment to our community.”
Democrat Will Rollins conceded to Rep. Ken Calvert Wednesday after the Corona Republican increased his lead to 8,123 votes in Riverside County’s 41st Congressional District. Calvert leads 161,202-153,079, 51.3%-48.7%.
Decision Desk HQ declared Calvert as the winner in his bid for a 17th term at 5:47 p.m. Pacific Standard Time Monday.
“I’m going to be honest, losing sucks, especially after campaigning back to back for nearly three years, but I will never regret running,” Rollins said in a video released on social media Wednesday. Rollins lost to Calvert, 52.3%-47.7% in 2022.
“Way too many of us sit on the couch and complain about politics or the way campaigns are run, without ever getting off the sidelines and actually stepping into the arena ourselves. And I get it, that was me until I was 37 years old. That’s why I am so proud to have been in the fight with you, the people who supported this campaign, because win or lose, you know that the work is never really done in America.”
Calvert issued a statement Monday saying, “I’m honored that Riverside County voters have once again placed their trust in me to continue delivering results for them in Washington.”