Democrat state assemblywoman Christy Smith conceded defeat on Monday in a tight congressional race in California’s 25th District, handing Rep. Mike Garcia a bitterly-fought win.
Smith, who sought to unseat the incumbent Garcia, lost by 333 votes, according to a tally finalized on Monday.
Garcia, in a statement on Monday, called the battle to retain his congressional seat “tough” and previewed his near-term priorities.
“My focus is on representing all constituents in CA-25,” Garcia said. “In the short term, this means pushing to get federal relief to those who are most impacted by COVID, individuals and small businesses. It’s been a tough election, but the fight has been worth it. I am looking forward to two more years.”
The race remained close throughout most of the vote counting, with Smith ahead at one point, but Garcia later pulled ahead and kept his narrow lead.
“Over the last few weeks, our attorneys reviewed thousands of uncounted ballots and our campaign volunteers undertook an extraordinary effort to cure hundreds of votes throughout the district that may not have been counted,” Smith wrote. “We exhausted every possible option, and did everything within our power to ensure that every voice in this election was heard. Nonetheless, we came up short.”
Garcia in May beat Smith in a special election to fill the seat, vacated after former Rep. Katie Hill, a Democrat, resigned in 2019 amid a House ethics probe.
The Republican incumbent on Nov. 20 declared victory in his bid to hold that seat after it became increasingly clear he would hold his lead.
In her concession statement on Monday, Smith wrote that she is “ready to work with partners across our community to heal division, move forward, and rebuild together.”
Garcia’s victory brings the number of seats in California that flipped Republican in the November election to four—more than any other state.
The two other California contests that saw Republicans eke out wins against Democrats were in the 39th District, where Young Kim beat incumbent Rep. Gil Cisneros, and the 48th District, in which Michelle Steel won against Rep. Harley Rouda.
In the 2020 election so far, Democrats have won at least 222 House seats. Though they are poised for two more years of controlling the chamber, it is with a slim majority.
Republicans, meanwhile, have so far flipped at least nine House seats and now have 207 in the 435-member chamber, as a surge of Republican voters transformed expected Democrat gains of perhaps 15 seats into losses potentially approaching that amount.
Democrats went into Election Day with a 232-197 House advantage, plus an independent and five open seats. With some races remaining undecided, it’s possible that in the new Congress that convenes in January, they will have the smallest majority since Republicans held just 221 seats two decades ago.
