Sen. Dave Min leads Republican Scott Baugh by 1,078 votes in Southern California’s closest congressional race, according to figures released by the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Min, D-Irvine, trailed by 616 votes entering Friday’s resumption of the vote count, then took a 50.19%-49.81% lead at the completion of the day’s count.
Baugh, a former assemblyman, held a 1,133-vote lead on Wednesday in the race for the 47th Congressional District seat vacated by Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, to unsuccessfully run for the Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“With the remaining votes expected to trend our way, we’re optimistic about our chances to keep #CA47 blue,” Min wrote on social media.
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, saw his lead in northern Los Angeles County’s 27th Congressional District race shrink from 3,240 votes Thursday to 973 Friday over Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff, 50.19%-49.81%.
Garcia led by 4,767 votes at the conclusion of Wednesday’s ballot count.
“It is essential that every vote cast by the people of our district is thoroughly and accurately counted,” Garcia said in a statement. “While we await the final results, variations in daily vote totals are to be expected as the process continues.
“I am confident that when all votes are in, our message of economic security, safe neighborhoods, and protecting critical programs like Social Security and Medicare will have resonated with CA-27 families.”
Whitesides wrote on social media the he won “over 57% of new votes counted” Friday with “thousands more to come.”
In the 49th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, increased his lead over Republican Matt Gunderson from 6,368 votes Thursday to 9,748 on Friday, 51.5%-48.4%.
Gunderson is winning in Orange County but Levin has the lead in San Diego County.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, holds a 7,380-vote lead over Democrat Will Rollins in his bid for a 17th term representing Riverside County’s 41st Congressional District, 51.42%-48.5%.
Calvert led by 7,455 votes, 51.5-48.5%, entering Friday’s count.
In Orange County’s 45th Congressional District, Rep. Michelle Steel had her lead over Democrat Derek Tran drop to 7,590 votes, 51.5%-48.5%. The Huntington Beach Republican had led by 11,668 votes, 51.9%-48.1%, entering Friday’s count.
It was unclear how many ballots remain to be counted in the congressional races.