California results mixed for Democrats and GOP

Primaries boost hopes for blue-state control of House in November

WASHINGTON — U.S. Democrats enhanced their prospects for winning control of the House in Tuesday’s coast-to-coast primaries, skirting potential calamity in California and lining up likely gains in New Jersey.

But Republicans avoided their own worst-case scenario, securing a spot in the California governor’s race, which should help bring Republican voters to the polls this fall. They also chose strong candidates in Southern California for the showdown in November.

It was the Democratic Party, however, that feared disaster in California, where a quirky “jungle primary” gives the November ballot to the top two finishers in the primary, regardless of party. Democratic contenders leveraged financial and strategic help from the national party to weather the winnowing primary, and ensure that they will field candidates in multiple California House districts that they will most likely need to win control in November.

“Even though Democrats had to spend a few million dollars, crisis averted,” said Nathan Gonzales, a veteran House race handicapper and the editor of the Inside Elections newsletter.

The party now will be able to mount challenges in places it feared being shut out, including open seats near San Diego and Los Angeles and districts represented by Republican incumbents. Between California and New Jersey, Democrats will contend for at least 10 Republican-held seats, nearly half of the 23 they need for control.

Republicans saw some positive developments Tuesday, as well. In the California governor’s race, John Cox, a Republican, secured a spot on the ballot to face Gavin Newsom, the Democratic lieutenant-governor. Republicans are unlikely to have a general election candidate against Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the ballot, and a failure to field challengers for both offices at the top of the ticket could have been devastating for Republican enthusiasm and turnout in the state.

In an early-morning tweet Wednesday, Trump embraced Cox and tried to counter the prevailing view that Democrats had dodged an electoral bullet.

“Great night for Republicans! Congratulations to John Cox on a really big number in California. He can win,” Trump tweeted. “So much for the big Blue Wave, it may be a big Red Wave. Working hard!”