With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Democrat Harley Rouda leads incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., in a race that drew focus on the 30-year incumbent’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rouda had secured 91,750 votes and Rohrabacher 89,068. While it is possible that absentee ballots, uncounted ballots or a recount could make Rohrabacher the eventual victor, a gap of 2,682 votes would be extraordinarily difficult to close.
Rouda won 50.7 percent of the vote to Rohrabacher’s 49.3 percent. Rohrabacher’s allegiance to President Trump and a foreign policy more favorable to Russia appeared to take a toll on his support among residents in the wealthy coastal Orange County district. Rohrabacher talked up the need to work with Russia on countering terrorism and other matters. Rohrabacher also ran in line with President Trump on restricting immigration.
Rouda’s defeat of Rohrabacher marked a broader shift to Democratic candidates in the the once-Republican stronghold of Orange County. House Democrats picked up at least one other seat in the suburban county. Rouda’s victory helped House Democrats win a majority, and will help reshape the map for Democrats in Orange County.
Rohrabacher first won the seat in 1988, but his political vulnerability became apparent after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton carried it by two points in 2016. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent substantially in support of Rouda, a real estate executive, during the final stretch of the race.
[Related: California Dreaming: Democratic hopes for House rest on West Coast]
