Rep. Mike Levin’s early lead over challenger Matt Gunderson dramatically narrowed early Wednesday in the race for the 49th District seat in Congress.
Of the five local incumbents facing reelection, only Levin in the 49th continued to to face a challenge.
With 62% of the San Diego County vote processed, and 95% of statewide precincts reporting, Levin was at 50.9% to Matt Gunderson’s 49.1%. But incumbents Darrell Issa had 60.2%, Sara Jacobs 58.9%, Scott Peters 62.7% and Juan Vargas 64.4%.
The 49th District, in north coastal San Diego and south Orange counties, was touted by pundits as a possible flip to red and in the earliest returns Levin trailed Gunderson by a razor-thin margin.
As votes continued to be tallied, Levin leapt ahead, though the advantage steadily dropped through the midnight count. Voters in San Diego County were favoring the incumbent while in Orange County they opted for Gunderson.
In remarks to supporters gathered at the Hilton San Diego/Del Mar, Levin said, “While there is still a long way to go and many ballots left to count, thanks to the work you put in and based on everything we know about the outstanding vote, we are confident that when all is said and done, we wil prevail.”
During the campaign, Levin, a former environmental lawyer, exchanged attacks with Gunderson, an Orange County auto dealer; inflation and abortion rights were the top topics.
Gunderson accused Levin, a three-term Congressman, of being out of touch, particularly on inflation, while Levin maintains that Gunderson, a former candidate for state Senate, is misleading voters in his adoption of a pro-choice stance.
Meanwhile, in the 51st District in central San Diego County, two-term Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is opposed by Bill Wells, a Republican. At a debate last month, the mayor of El Cajon exchanged barbs with Jacobs over the border. Wells said “we’re going to lose this country completely” if action isn’t taken, while Jacobs accused him of “demonizing immigrants.”
Wells continued to trail Jacobs by double digits Tuesday, and Jacobs declared victory in an emailed statement, saying “I’m so honored to have earned the continued trust of voters in California’s 51st district and to represent my hometown and a new generation of leaders for a third term in Congress.”
Among the other incumbents, Darrell Issa held a similar lead in the 48th District, while Scott Peters in the 50th District and Juan Vargas in the 52nd District were cruising to easy victories.
Updated at 7:10 a.m., Nov. 6, 2024
