California’s 42nd Congressional District is another one that saw changes under redistricting. Early counts of mailed ballots on election night showed Rep. Robert Garcia well in front and Brian Burley in strong position to advance to the general election.
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Orange County’s more conservative coastal communities of Huntington Beach and part of Newport Beach were drawn into this new district, along with Long Beach in L.A. County.
Garcia is the only Democrat in the race, and he is joined by three Republicans: Huntington Beach City School District Trustee Burley, nuclear engineer Long Pham and Newport Beach chef Noah Von Blom, as well as no party preference candidate Larisa Vermeulen.
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First elected to the U.S. House in 2022, Garcia, a former Long Beach mayor, has quickly risen to leadership positions on Capitol Hill. For nearly a year now, the progressive Democrat has served as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, which serves as the primary investigative panel in Congress.
A school board member, Burley also works in information technology and higher education, according to his campaign website. He has a degree in political economy from USC, where Burley also earned master’s degrees in public policy, digital media management and emergency management.
Pham has a long career in nuclear engineering and is an advisor to the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, according to his campaign website. During Gov. Pete Wilson’s tenure, he was appointed to serve on the Regulatory Reform Roundtable Task Force.
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Vermeulen is a longtime French and Spanish teacher and grew up in North Long Beach.
A Newport Beach councilmember, Von Blom is the owner of ARC Restaurants. He is currently serving as the city’s mayor pro tem.
Here, about 40% of voters are registered Democrats, while another 30% are registered Republicans, according to the secretary of state’s data. And 21% are no party preference voters.
Vote tallies will be updated throughout the night and in the coming days as more ballots are counted, so check back periodically for the latest information.
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