LOS ANGELES — Republican Rep. Mike Garcia has won reelection to his northern Los Angeles County seat, dashing Democrats' hopes they could reclaim a district where they had a sizable registration advantage. His win pushed Republicans to the majority in the next Congress.
Garcia defeated Christy Smith, a Democratic former state lawmaker whom he had bested in a 2019 special election race and in 2020, when he won by just 333 votes. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday, though official results will take longer.
Garcia had declared victory a week earlier, writing in a statement that he was "honored to be reelected to serve another two years in Congress." He said he applauded Smith for "jumping in the ring again."
