Nation On Edge Awaits CA Outcomes To See Which Party Won The House

LOS ANGELES, CA — As of Monday, the Republican party was just four seats away from winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives, giving the party a clean sweep of every branch of federal government in the upcoming term. The nation won't know who controls the House until California finishes counting votes.

There are still 17 races to be called nationwide, and no state has more undecided races than California where six races remained too close to call Monday afternoon. The Golden State also has millions more ballots to count, with as few as 61 to 80 percent of the votes counted in competitive congressional districts headed into the weekend.

Tallies updated over the weekend saw one Republican incumbent — Mike Garcia in Los Angeles County — lose his lead to challenger George Whitesides, after leading by more than 5,000 votes the morning after the election. Whitesides had a 2 percent lead heading into the workweek, according to the latest preliminary results, which were released Monday morning. By Monday night, his lead had grown to about 7,000 votes, prompting Garcia to concede the race,

• SEE ALSO: CA Voters Reject Prop. 6; Forced Labor Will Continue In Prisons

"Representing the people of California's 27th Congressional District the last 4.5 years has been an honor of a lifetime," Garcia said in a written statement. "I want to thank my family for making the sacrifices, and my team and my volunteers for working harder than any other team in the nation during this journey of providence. We achieved so much in a short period of time. We truly made history and saved lives. I'm proud of all we've done.

“I will always seek to serve this wonderful nation in any capacity and remain at her disposal for the maintenance of her splendor, the security of her people and the protection of her future."

Whiteside issued a statement thanking Garcia for his service and vowing to “ fight to create more good local jobs, lower everyday costs, build safe communities, protect Social Security and Medicare, and protect reproductive freedom,”

Similarly, in Orange County's 47th District, where Democratic Rep. Katie Porter declined to run for reelection, Dave Min (D) has erased the slight lead Scott Baugh (R) held on the morning after the election. As of Monday, Min held a roughly one percent lead in the race.

The shift in fortunes would appear to reflect the proverbial "red mirage," which in recent elections, shows Republican leads on election nights shrink in subsequent days as mail-in ballots are tallied.

Republican incumbents in four other California House races held onto their leads as of Monday morning. If they can keep those leads as more votes are counted this week, the GOP will maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

They include Representatives Michelle Steel, Ken Calvert, John Duarte and David Valadao. Valadao was in the strongest position with a 7 point lead and 77 percent of the votes already tallied, according to the California Secretary of State, and the Associated Press.

According to the Associated Press, as of Monday morning:

• Duarte holds a 3 percent lead with just 61 percent of the district's vote tallied;
• Calvert holds a 3 percent lead with 70 percent of the district's vote tallied;
• Steel holds a 2 percent lead with 80 percent of the district's vote tallied.

Because there are still enough outstanding ballots to be counted to affect the outcome of these races, they remain too close to call.

California's vote counting is taking longer than most other states. While the pace of the counting tests the patience of candidates and voters, elections officials have faced unusual challenges, including multiple bomb threats over the weekend.

"Undeterred by a false bomb threat the evening before, the Orange County Registrar of Voters team continued to process vote-by-mail and provisional ballots today," the Orange County Registrar of Voters office announced. "Fewer employees called out sick Saturday than a typical Saturday. And, one employee who wasn’t scheduled to work came in to help."

"Everyday I am amazed by this team," said Bob Page, Orange County Registrar of Voters. "Their commitment to each other, to the integrity of our election, and to ensuring every voter’s ballot is processed is unrivaled.

"I also want to thank the Orange County Sheriff's Department, who continue to keep our staff and the public observers safe, and the Disaster Response Team from the Orange County Health Care Agency’s Behavioral Health Services, who provided crisis counseling to staff."

There is a lot on the line with the outcome of these counts, including the potential repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act, mass deportations and their impact on businesses and prices, and California's green agenda.

• SEE ALSO: CA Propositions: What Passed, What Failed And What It Means For CA

Cal State Fullerton political science professor Matt Jarvis said he believes Republicans will hang on to a majority in the House.

"I think Republicans are likely to hold on to a narrow majority, maybe 222-223, because I think there's going to be a heck of a lot more ticket- splitting than we've seen in recent years," Jarvis told City News Service. "I think there's going to be a lot of people who can't vote for (Donald) Trump, but who are very unhappy with inflation, and I think the only way they can send that message is to put Republicans in Congress."

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries disagrees.

“We’re in striking distance in terms of taking back the House,” Jeffries, who is in line to make history as the first Black speaker if his party wins control, said during a recent campaign swing through Southern California.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, drawing closer to Trump, predicts Republicans will keep “and grow” the majority. He took over after Kevin McCarthy was booted from the speaker’s office.

Patch visited the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s headquarters in Norwalk on Tuesday morning and spoke with voters as they exited the polls.

For Zach Hammond, an Orange County resident, said he was more concerned about whether the election would result in the passage of more progressive policies.

“I feel like this one is really important. We have some really big decisions being made here,” he said.

“I’m really hoping it will pan out the way it should pan out — we are able to get women’s rights back when it comes to taking control of their body; we are able to lower the cost of housing and rent; we're able to make more renewable energy sources rather than focusing on fossil fuels — really just progressive policies."

Scroll down to see the six most competitive race tallies as of Monday afternoon:

DISTRICT 13

DISTRICT 22

DISTRICT 27

DISTRICT 41

DISTRICT 45

DISTRICT 47

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.