Rouda will take on Rohrabacher
Democrat Harley Rouda will challenge GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in California’s 48th Congressional District in November after Hans Keirstead conceded the second-place spot in the June 5 primary.
Rouda and Keirstead, also a Democrat, had been locked in a nasty battle for the chance to take on 15term incumbent Rohrabacher. Keirstead maintained a razor-thin lead as the votes were counted in the days after the election. But last week, Rouda, a real estate investor, overtook him and at last count was leading by 126 votes.
In a statement, Keirstead, a stem cell researcher, congratulated Rouda and pledged to “work in unison ... to make sure Democrats and science prevail in November.”
Democrats consider Rohrabacher’s coastal Orange County seat a key pickup opportunity in a crucial state as they seek to take back control of the House. He is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country, having received just 30% of the vote in the primary.
The district was one of several in which national Democrats feared being locked out because of California’s top-two primary system. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent millions in this district, including $400,000 on ads backing Rouda, who some party leaders felt was better positioned to defeat Rohrabacher this fall and who was the only California House challenger to receive the committee’s explicit backing before the primary.
That set up a clash with the state Democratic Party, which endorsed Keirstead.
As the ballots were counted, neither campaign ruled out the possibility of a recount. Orange County election officials have said they expect to certify the results Monday.