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By Miriam Raftery
November 8, 2022 (San Diego) – The balance of power in Congress hangs in the balance this election, with Republicans currently looking likely to take back a majority in the House of representatives by a few seats – a narrower margin than pundits forecast; control of the Senate remains too close to call. But in San Diego County, all five incumbent Congressional members have solid leads and appear set to hold onto their sets.
East County Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican, has 58.12% of the vote in San Diego County over his opponent, Stephen Houlahan, a nurse with a masters in business degree who has 41.88% of the vote. The district also includes a small portion of Riverside County, which also has a large Republican voter registration advantage. Houlahan had criticized Issa's anti-abortion stance and accepting over $150,000 in federal loan forgiveness for his business, after voting against COVID-relief funds for others.
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a liberal Democrat whose 51st district includes portions of East County and San Diego, breezes to reelection with 61.22% of the votes counted so far, over Republican Stan Caplan with 38.78%.
Jacobs issued a statement after her victory."Tonight, San Diegans showed that they want a leader who doesn’t settle for the way things have always been done. From Day One of my re-election campaign, I focused on hearing from my current constituents and meeting the vibrant, new communities in CA-51 to earn their support.," she said.
One of the youngest members of Congress, Jacobs added, " We are at a pivotal moment for our country, and if we’re going to address the most pressing issues of our time and fight against the threats to our democracy and our bodily autonomy, we need more young voices in Washington ready to work on our oldest problems in a new way – and I’m so excited that so many of them were elected tonight...I couldn’t be more excited to keep fighting for a future that works for all of us – a future with affordable child care, support for our military families, common-sense gun safety laws, lower costs for hardworking San Diegans, and where the right to an abortion is once again the law of the land.” A
Congressman Mike Levin, a Democrat, had been considered vulnerable due to redistricting that made his district more competitive. But after President Joe Biden came to San Diego last Thursday to campaign for Levin, Levin has a commanding 58.66% to 41.34% lead over Republican Brian Maryott. TV ads for Levin highlighted Maryott’s extreme stance on abortion, opposing abortion even when a woman’s life is at risk. Levin may have benefitted, too, from a national wave of women turning out to vote in the wake of the Supreme Court decision granting states the right to ban or restrict abortion access.
Democrats Scott Peters and Juan Vargas are also winning handily, with 61.88% and 66.22% of the votes over their lesser-known Republican challengers Corey Gustafson and Tyler Geffeney.
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