Race is set in district GOP hopes to gain
Democratic Rep. Mike Levin will face Republican Brian Maryott in the fall election in the 49th Congressional District, which straddles Orange and San Diego counties. The district is viewed by the GOP as a possible pickup as it aims to retake control of Congress.
After redistricting, Democrats have a little more than a 2-percentage-point voter edge. Maryott, one of three main Republicans competing to take on the two-term incumbent, emerged Wednesday as the second-place finisher in the primary. The former mayor of San Juan Capistrano partly funded his own campaign and was endorsed by the state GOP.
During the primary, Levin, who represents San Juan Capistrano, sent out mailers to GOP voters in the district that emphasized another candidate’s support of the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion across the nation and that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn — messaging that would probably boost the candidate’s credentials among conservatives. Maryott, the mailer said, had not taken a public position on Roe.
Maryott responded that he has consistently opposed abortion and that Levin had “clearly shown his hand” in which rival he wanted to face in the general election.
This race is one of several in the state expected to be contested by both parties in November. Republicans are expected to take control of at least one chamber of Congress, and California’s congressional delegation, which will still be the largest in the nation at 52 members despite losing a seat after reapportionment, will help determine how much power Republicans have.
A new district
GOP schools trustee John Briscoe won the second spot in the November runoff to represent a new, overwhelmingly Democratic, Latino-majority district that stretches from southeast L.A. cities down to Long Beach.
Democrat Robert Garcia, Long Beach’s mayor, had already clinched the top spot. Briscoe, an Ocean View School District trustee and a real estate broker, edged out Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) as the runner-up in the top-two primary. Democrats have a 38-point voter registration edge in the new 42nd Congressional District.
The state’s redistricting commission combined chunks of districts represented by two veterans of Congress, who both will retire at the end of their terms.
Robert Garcia had a significant edge in endorsements and fundraising in the race. One of his first TV ads highlighted Briscoe’s ties to former President Trump, a move political experts saw as an effort to raise the profile of a weaker rival.