LA Incumbents Win Most Midterm Seats
Only two of 18 congressional races in Los Angeles County remained undecided after the 2026 elections, with one incumbent facing a close challenge.
By Andrew Kovalenko ·
The Associated Press called 16 of 18 Los Angeles County congressional races by Wednesday afternoon, November 4, one day after the 2026 midterm elections concluded. Most incumbents secured reelection, leaving only two contests unresolved.
In the 23rd District, Republican Representative Jay Obernolte held a narrow lead over Democrat Tessa Lynn Hodge. The district covers parts of the Inland Empire, Kern County, and northern Los Angeles. As of the latest count, Obernolte had 67,169 votes compared to 63,681 for Hodge, a gap of less than 4,000 votes.
Obernolte, a three-term member, won reelection easily two years ago with 60% of the vote. He reported nearly $1.4 million in cash on hand in his latest Federal Election Commission filing. Hodge, a social worker and business owner, reported having only $12,000 in mid-October. The district has a plurality of Republican voters, with nearly 24,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Michael Trujillo, a Democratic strategist based in Los Angeles, described the race as an example of a national blue wave. He noted that Democrats were not heavily targeting the seat, yet the challenger remained competitive. "In a race like this, that perfectly defines what a real, national large blue wave would look like: seats and incumbents that weren't on anyone's radar screens the Wednesday after the Tuesday where we're seeing a potential heartbeat for the Democratic challenger," he said.
In the 29th District, incumbent Democrat Representative Luz Rivas held a commanding lead over challenger Angélica María Dueñas. Rivas had about 60% of the vote while Dueñas had 40%. The district includes San Fernando Valley communities such as Panorama City, Van Nuys, and Sylmar. Redistricting changed the district's boundaries, removing parts of the Kagel and Lopez Canyon areas and extending east along the 210 freeway.
Among the decided races, nearly all Los Angeles County House incumbents won reelection. Representative George Whitesides in the 27th District secured a solid lead with 62% of the vote against Republican challenger Jason Gibbs, who had 38%. Whitesides flipped the district in a competitive race two years ago, but redistricting made the seat more Democratic.
The exception was the 34th District, which includes downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Highland Park, and Eagle Rock. Democrat Representative Jimmy Gomez, who is facing a House ethics investigation over alleged sexual misconduct he has denied, lost to democratic socialist Angela Gonzales-Torres. The Associated Press projected the victory for the challenger.
Statewide, nearly 8 million of more than 23 million registered voters cast ballots. Election results are not official until next month. Local election officials have until December 3 to certify county results, and the California secretary of state has until December 11 to certify all election results.
