Why the AP called 5 California House races for Democrats
By MIKE CATALINI
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The victors in five California House contests haven’t been determined, but one thing is certain: Democrats will control those seats.
That’s because of California’s so-called “ jungle primary ” system in which the top two vote getters in the primary, regardless of political party, proceed to the general election. The top two primary is sometimes referred to as a jungle primary because of the free-for-all nature of having all candidates compete on one ballot.
Two districts are in the Bay Area; the other three are in Southern California.
In the 15th District, Kevin Mullin and David Canepa are squaring off. In the 16th, incumbent Anna Eshoo is competing against Rishi Kumar. In the 29th District, incumbent Tony Cardenas is facing off against Angelica Duenas. In the 34th District Jimmy Gomez is in a race with David Kim. In the 37th District, it’s Sydney Kamlager versus Jan Perry.
None of the races represents a pickup opportunity for Democrats, who currently control all five seats, so the outcome won’t affect who controls the House.
Votes are still being tallied in California and it’s unclear when a winner in each of the campaigns could be declared. The Associated Press hasn’t called numerous other races in the state, either.
The AP does not make projections and will only declare a winner when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap — even if one candidate has claimed victory and others have conceded.
In some contested races where a party or candidate has a history of consistent and convincing wins The AP can use results from AP VoteCast to confirm a candidate’s victory, even as soon as polls close. VoteCast is a survey of American voters aimed at determining why they voted how they did.
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Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini
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Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
