Dave Min Keeps House Seat Blue in Close Southern California Race
State Sen. Dave Min, of Irvine, California, has managed to keep hold of former Rep. Katie Porter's seat for the Democratic Party after mail-in ballots gave him enough votes to overtake Republican challenger Scott Baugh on Nov. 11.
Baugh, former chair of the Orange County Republican Party and former state Assembly Republican Leader, conceded the race for House District 47 Tuesday after Min's lead increased to 5,732 votes in one of the closest House races in the state.
Min had captured 50.9 percent of the vote, while Baugh had 49.1 percent on Wednesday.
Republicans were hoping to flip the seat after Porter, a Democrat, declined to run for reelection, choosing instead to vie for the open U.S. Senate seat formerly held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In that race, Porter came in third with 15.3 percent of the vote.
"Honored to announce our race in [District 47] has been called," he wrote on social media. "I know many of us are anxious about the future of our country, but we cannot give up on America. In Congress, I will fight to protect our democracy, safeguard our freedoms, and expand economic opportunity."
Min, a former assistant law professor at the University of California-Irvine, has served as a state senator since 2020. His term in the Senate ends Dec. 2. Min ran on three main messages: abortion and contraception access, gun violence prevention, and addressing climate issues.
The lead in the tight race changed several times between the two contenders, as the county worked its way through thousands of mail-in ballot returns since Nov. 5.
Baugh did not return requests to comment about his concession but left a lengthy message to supporters Tuesday night on social media.
"It has become clear that despite running a strong campaign connecting with voters, and mobilizing an incredible volunteer effort—that effort is going to come up a little short," Baugh wrote as part of the message.
"I am grateful to an outstanding campaign team and the most dedicated supporters any candidate could ask for. I'm appreciative of the voters that supported me and even those that did not, and most of all I am grateful for my wife, Wendy, and my son, Jackson."
Baugh said he had been looking forward to working with Democrats, Republicans, and President-elect Donald Trump to solve problems like the open border, crime, and federal spending, "but the voters have spoken and this is not what is intended for me," he wrote.
This is the second time that Baugh has lost his bid for the seat. He ran against Porter in 2022 and lost by 9,113 votes.
Four House seats out of the 52 California U.S. House seats remained undecided Wednesday afternoon, as the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance.
In District 45, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel, of Surfside, maintained a slight edge, with 50.4 percent of the vote, over her Democratic Party opponent Derek Tran, who held 49.6 percent for the seat that straddles Orange and Los Angeles counties. Only 2,272 votes separated the two candidates Wednesday, according to the Secretary of State's office.
In District 21, Democrat incumbent Jim Costa, of Fresno, was ahead with 51.7 percent over challenger Republican Michael Mahar, who maintained 48.3 percent of the vote.
In District 13, Republican incumbent John Duarte, of Stanislaus County, held onto 51.2 percent of the vote over Democrat Adam Gray, with 48.8 percent.
Democrat incumbent Josh Harder, of Tracy, held onto a lead with 51.8 percent over Republican Kevin Lincoln, who had 48.2 percent Wednesday in District 9.
California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said the party had expected results to take an extended amount of time to be posted.
The state's Republican Party has recruited many attorneys to oversee the ballot counting process, along with thousands of trained volunteers, she said.
