Tight California congressional races could take weeks to call - Los Angeles Times

Eleven competitory legislature races successful California that could extremity up determining the equilibrium of powerfulness successful the House were inactive excessively adjacent to telephone Wednesday.

Congressional campaigns connected some sides of the aisle expressed cautious optimism arsenic predetermination officials proceed tallying votes, a process that could instrumentality weeks.

With the imaginable of the House bulk connected the line, the full federation whitethorn beryllium kept successful suspense due to the fact that of California’s notoriously plodding number — a script fewer expected successful the lead-up to predetermination day.

“I conjecture I’m amazed that it’s benignant of coming down to California,” said Paul Mitchell, vice president of the governmental information investigation steadfast PDI. “I expected the Republicans to prime up 10 to 12 seats successful the House, and that’s earlier they adjacent got to California.”

In the 41st Congressional District, Democrat Will Rollins was trailing Rep. Ken Calvert — the longest-serving GOP subordinate of California’s legislature delegation — by astir 450 votes arsenic of Thursday.

Calvert’s past absorption to cheery rights whitethorn person wounded him among the Coachella Valley’s ample LGBTQ community, said Mitchell, which could beryllium 1 crushed the aboriginal results trended toward Rollins, who is gay.

Rollins told The Times connected Wednesday, erstwhile helium inactive was starring successful the ballot count, “We consciousness similar we’re going to triumph this one.” Thursday helium tweeted that helium remained “optimistic.”

Calvert’s run did not respond to a petition for comment.

On Tuesday, chatter of an impending nationalist “red wave” could beryllium heard crossed the Orange County nightclub wherever GOP legislature hopeful Scott Baugh and others gathered to await predetermination results.

The temper successful the packed nine dampened erstwhile the results began rolling in, but Baugh, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Katie Porter to represent the 47th Congressional District successful Orange County, remained confident.

“Early returns successful California arsenic you cognize ever favour the Democrats. How galore of you voted connected predetermination day?” helium asked the assemblage arsenic hands changeable up. “You’re going to reverse what the results are close present and you’re going to enactment america successful the pb by midnight.”

At midnight, Baugh was trailing Porter by less than 1,000 votes. By Thursday, Porter’s pb had grown to conscionable nether 3,000.

On Wednesday, the temper successful Porter’s campy was 1 of cautious optimism. In 2018, it took 11 days for the contention betwixt Porter and Republican Mimi Walters to beryllium called.

“There are inactive tens of thousands of ballots near to beryllium counted, and our run respects Orange County voters and volition hold patiently for the results,” said run spokesperson Lindsay Reilly.

The popularity of mail-in ballots means that results tin often instrumentality longer successful galore states, including California, than voters typically expect, said Paul Gronke, a prof of governmental subject and manager of the Elections and Voting Information Center astatine Reed College successful Portland, Ore.

“It’s going to marque it peculiarly hard this twelvemonth with results coming successful astatine antithetic rates, and it’s going to unfastened up a model for radical to complaint malfeasance,” helium said.

Still, helium added, conscionable due to the fact that the ballot is taking longer to number doesn’t mean there’s thing wrong.

In the Central Valley’s 22nd district, Republican Rep. David Valadao was up of Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas by astir 3,300 votes with conscionable implicit a 3rd of the ballot counted.

In 2018, publications crossed the authorities declared Valadao the victor successful his bid for reelection against his Democratic challenger. However, ballot counting continued done the remainder of November and Valadao conceded the contention successful aboriginal December.

Valadao acknowledged his run “always knew this contention was going to beryllium tight,” but he’s hopeful astir aboriginal returns. Salas said he’s waiting patiently for votes to beryllium counted.

Eleven of the state’s astir hard-fought legislature races, successful districts from Stockton to San Diego County, person yet to beryllium called. Fewer than 10 different House races successful the authorities remained undecided Thursday afternoon.

The variables and caveats successful the Golden State’s midterm races are many, which makes predictions difficult. The upending of accepted voting methods during the pandemic, uncertainty astir the authorities of ideology and adjacent bedewed upwind connected predetermination time could beryllium factors.

Heavy rainfall implicit the play and connected predetermination time mightiness person spurred immoderate voters to message successful ballots astatine the past infinitesimal alternatively than brave the elements to ballot successful person, Mitchell said.

Recently, much Republicans person been voting successful idiosyncratic connected predetermination time due to the fact that conspiracy theories dispersed by erstwhile President Trump and others person made them distrustful of message ballots. And since the pandemic, much Democrats person turned to ballot by mail. Historically, it was the different mode around.

The uncertainty and norm-busting is capable to marque Mitchell propulsion up his hands.

“It’s each implicit the place,” helium said. “We don’t cognize who voted, and astatine what magnitude.”

Times researcher Jennifer Arcand contributed to this report.