California voters knew the results of some races early on: Vice President Kamala Harris did not win the presidency, but she easily won California’s 54 electoral votes. Democrat Adam Schiff won a U.S. Senate seat shortly after California’s polls closed. Schiff, a longtime congressman whose district includes parts of Hollywood, Glendale and Burbank, easily defeated Republican and former L.A. Dodger Steve Garvey.
The closest California races were for the House of Representatives, and as of Wednesday afternoon, results for many were not yet in. With 39 out of 52 districts called, 33 seats so far had gone to Democrats, and six to Republicans. Thirteen races remain uncalled.
It is still unclear whether Democrats or Republicans will control the House, but these uncalled races could take weeks to determine due to the time it takes to count mail-in ballots.
Key congressional races to look at in California are Districts 13, 27, 41 and 45. All are considered swing districts and could determine which party controls the House.
District 13 in the San Joaquin Valley holds a tight race between incumbent Republican John Duarte and Democrat Adam Gray. Duarte won the seat two years ago by 564 votes. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, he was in the lead by about 3,000 votes.
In northern L.A. County’s District 27, incumbent Republican Mike Garcia had a slight edge of 2.3% over Democrat George Whitesides. Only about two-thirds of the votes had been counted so far.
District 41 in Riverside County is one of the most competitive House races, between incumbent Republican Ken Calvert and Democrat Will Rollins. About 2,000 votes separated the two candidates Wednesday with only 70% of votes counted. Calvert is the longest-serving Republican in the state’s congressional delegation after first being elected in 1992. He was almost defeated two years ago by Rollins, a former federal prosecutor.
In northern Orange County, District 45 incumbent Republican Michelle Steel is leading a tight race against Democrat Derek Tran. Tran is Vietnamese American and Steel is Korean American.
Votes are still being counted throughout California, so it could some time before the results of these and other races are in.
This story aired on ARN Wednesday evening.