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Congressional races: Issa, Campa Najjar neck-in-neck; Levin, Vargas, Jacobs secure wins

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego-area congressional representatives were celebrating reelection wins Wednesday, while the race for the 50th District was

neck-and-neck between former Republican Rep. Darrell Issa and Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar.

Issa, a Republican, was holding a narrow lead early Wednesday, with 52.2% of the vote, compared to Campa-Najjar's 47.8%. The 50th District covers

East and North San Diego County, along with portions of Riverside County.

It was unclear how many provisional and questioned ballots and late-arriving mail ballots remain to be counted in the district. Issa was leading by roughly 12,000 votes.

The candidates are seeking to claim the seat vacated by former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, who resigned amid a corruption scandal and criminal charges

of unlawful spending of campaign funds.

Issa has questioned Campa-Najjar's political convictions, saying his opponent has attempted to rebrand himself as a moderate in order to appeal to

Republican voters, while Campa-Najjar says he has spent more time on the ground with 50th District residents than Issa, who formerly represented the 49th District.

In the 49th District straddling San Diego and Orange counties, Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, declared victory over Republican Brian Maryott after taking nearly 55% of the vote.

"Serving North County San Diego and South Orange County in Congress is an extraordinary honor, and I am incredibly grateful to the voters who have placed their faith in me to represent them once again," Levin said in a statement Wednesday.

Levin won the seat in 2018, defeating Republican Diane Harkey in the general election, and taking over for Issa, who spent nearly two decades representing the area before announcing he would not seek re-election.

Maryott, a certified financial planner and San Juan Capistrano City Councilman, previously ran for the seat in 2018.

Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, easily defeated Republican challenger Juan Hidalgo Jr. for the third straight election to maintain California's 51st

Congressional District seat. Vargas, who has represented the district since 2012, garnered more than 70% of the vote in Tuesday's election.

The 51st District includes southern San Diego County — including National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach — and all of Imperial County.

Vargas was born in National City and his political career includes election to the San Diego City Council in 1993, the state Assembly — representing District 79 — in 2000, and the state Senate — representing District 40 — in 2010.

Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, who has represented the 52nd District since 2013, won handily over Republican challenger Jim DeBello, a tech industry executive.

Peters previously served on the San Diego City Council, including as the council's first president. He also served as chairman of the San Diego Unified Port District.

DeBello is a San Diego native perhaps best known as co-inventor of a mobile check deposit app used by 80 million customers, according to his

campaign. He also served as chairman and CEO of Mitek Systems for 15 years and led Qualcomm's Internet Software business unit.

The 52nd District includes much of coastal and central San Diego.

In the 53rd District race between two Democrats, Sara Jacobs triumphed over San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, earning about 60% of the vote.

Gomez issued a concession statement Tuesday night.

"While we did not win this one, I will never give up the fight for equality and justice and a sustainable planet,'' Gomez said. ``Tonight's

results do not define my commitment to building a more just society, I will continue to do the work along with you all. Thank you to all the volunteers, to the community leaders who supported my campaign, and to my family for being on this journey with me.''

Gomez said she called Jacobs to congratulate her.

"I stand ready to work with her to advance just policies that will benefit working families and ensure that our recovery from this pandemic leaves no one behind,'' Gomez said.

Jacobs will claim the seat vacated by Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, who announced late last year she would not seek re-election after representing the region for two decades.

Jacobs, the granddaughter of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs, is the founder and chair of San Diego for Every Child, a nonprofit focused on ending

child poverty. She worked as a policy adviser on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, and held policy positions at the U.S. State Department and UNICEF, according to her campaign website.

The 53rd District stretches from Linda Vista to the South Bay, and also covers portions of Eastern San Diego County, such as El Cajon and La Mesa.

 

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