A hotly contested congressional race between Republican Rep. Mike Garcia, who represents northern Los Angeles County, and Democrat George Whiteside, a former NASA chief of staff, was too close to convene on election night. Ta.

The race between Mr. Garcia and Mr. Whiteside to represent California’s 27th Congressional District is seen as a closely contested race and is being watched nationally as one of several battleground districts that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives. was.

Once a staunchly conservative district that stretches from Santa Clarita to the Kern County line and includes the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, it has become a lucrative district for Democrats in recent years, with a growing voter registration advantage. Mr. Garcia, who has been elected three times, has become one of the most powerful candidates. A vulnerable Republican incumbent in this country.

Redistricting after the 2020 Census removed conservative Simi Valley and turned the district bluer. Just over 41% of registered voters are Democrats and about 30% are Republicans. More than a fifth are independents.

Garcia, a former Navy pilot and former executive at defense contractor Raytheon Corp., was elected for the first time in a 2020 special election after Katie Hill, a millennial Democrat who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018, resigned amid a sex scandal. won a seat. Mr. Garcia retained his seat in the next two elections. He defeated his fellow Democratic rival, former Rep. Christy Smith, in all three elections.

Whiteside — the former chief executive of Mojave-based Virgin Galactic and a deep-pocketed man. lent it to his campaign More than $1 million — with significant support from Democrats, who did not rally as strongly around Smith. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the House, visited the Antelope Valley last month to campaign for Whiteside, a sign of the importance of the Whiteside race to the party. .

Whiteside focused her campaign on reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, job creation and increased funding for law enforcement. He painted Garcia as a pro-Trump sycophant and highlighted the fact that the congressman had voted against certification. 2020 Presidential Election Results After the January 6, 2021 riots and his push to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Whiteside, a first-time candidate, had no voting record to scrutinize. There, Garcia highlighted his opponent’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to progressive candidates and causes, and the far-left mega-donors who are using their personal finances to win seats in Congress. I tried to portray him as

In the last election, Mr. Garcia’s focus on the cost of living and high gas prices in California, a commuter zone where many residents commute more than two hours to Los Angeles, were attracted by cheaper housing. It was effective.