Voter
A voter casts her ballot in 2023 at a San Diego County vote center. (FIle photo courtesy of County News Center)

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Proposition 50 took some of the drama out of this year’s congressional elections — it’s just about certain that Democrats will gain seats here as they try to flip the House.

But beneath that headline, last week’s primary election sets the stage for several contentious races, including ones that reflect generational tensions in the Democratic Party.

Here’s a look at the matchups: 

  • The races that could flip Congress: Just two California seats are actually competitive between the parties. One in the San Diego area will pit Republican Jim Desmond, a county supervisor, against Democrat Marni von Wilpert, a city councilmember. The other in the southern San Joaquin Valley will have perennially endangered Republican Rep. David Valadao defending his seat against progressive newcomer Randy Villegas. 
  • A formidable threat: In Sacramento, an intraparty matchup has taken shape. Democratic incumbent Doris Matsui is facing her first serious challenger in a congressional career that spans two decades. The 81-year-old will go toe to toe with Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, a progressive nearly half Matsui’s age. Vang earned more votes than Matsui in the primary, but Republicans in the district could swing the race back to Matsui in the fall. 
  • Another Boomer vs. Millennial battle? It’s still too close to call whether investor Eric Jones, a Democrat, will advance to the general election for a North Bay Area congressional seat held by incumbent Rep. Mike Thompson. Jones cast Thompson as stale and ineffective in campaign ads, but Jones is behind Republican Ray Riehle.
  • Some Prop. 50 scrambling: After having his turf dramatically reshaped by Prop. 50, GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley swapped both district and party for a chance to stay in Congress. Kiley successfully ran as an independent for the Sacramento-area 6th District and will face physician and former Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan, who outpaced a Republican candidate in the primary. In Orange and Riverside counties, meanwhile, voters will see a Republican vs. Republican race after Prop. 50 changes with Rep. Ken Calvert facing Rep. Young Kim for the new 40th District.

Read more from CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.

CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable.