As the votes continue to be tallied, it appears mostly familiar faces will be representing San Diego in Congress for the next two years, with the exception of one newcomer -- the youngest representative in the state.
49th Congressional District
Congressman Mike Levin, who was first elected to the 49th district in 2018, appears poised to return to his seat. On Thursday, the Democrat held an 8% lead over his Republican challenger Brian Maryott.
Here's where the race stands:
Levin -- an environmental lawyer and champion for clean energy before his shift to politics -- was the first Democrat to represent the North County district, which expands into Orange County in nearly two decades. The district was heavily focused on by Democrats attempting to shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
Previously, the seat was held by long-time Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, who ran this term for a seat in the 50th District.
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50th Congressional District
While not a familiar face to the 50th District, Issa is a long-time representative hoping to make his return to Congress.
Issa currently holds a 6% lead over his Democratic challenger, Ammar Campa-Najjar, in the East County 50th District -- a wide enough gap, according to Issa, to "consider it that the race is over."
Here's where the race stands now:
Issa left Dist. 49 in 2018 and was slated for a Trump Administration position that never came to fruition. Instead, he decided to run for the 50th District seat vacated by disgraced Rep. Duncan Hunter in light of a corruption scandal.
The race is closer than many would have thought for a district considered a Republican stronghold. Issa acknowledged the strong fight by his competitor, calling the race "the first contested primary I had and it was quite an awakening."
Campa-Najjar has not conceded the race and said Wednesday, "We’re still looking at the returns with a measure of hope and urge every last vote be counted."
More on the race for the 50th District here.
51st Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Juan Vargas is likely to return to Congress representing the 51st District, California's southernmost district, which encompasses San Diego's South Bay and east to the Arizona border.
Early results showed the Democrat far ahead of his Republican challenger, Juan M. Hidalgo, Jr. with 70% of the vote to Hidalgo's 30%.
Here's where the race stands now:
Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012 after serving for years in local politics, including the San Diego City Council and the State Assembly.
52nd Congressional District
In the 52nd, which stretches from Coronado north to La Jolla and inland to Poway and Escondido, incumbent Rep. Scott Peters holds a strong lead over challenger Jim Debello, a Republican.
Here's where the race stands now:
The Democratic congressman has represented the 52nd District since 2012, when he narrowly beat out the district's previous incumbent.
53rd Congressional District
The 53rd Congressional District was destined for a new face this election cycle after long-time Rep. Susan Davis' retirement.
Two new Democrats were vying for the seat -- policy advisor Sara Jacobs and former San Diego City Councilmember Georgette Gómez -- but it appears Jacobs is headed to Congress to represent residents from La Mesa, Lemon Grove, parts of El Cajon, Chula Vista and central San Diego neighborhoods like Hillcrest and North Park.
Gómez conceded on Election Night after Jacobs took a commanding 18% lead.
Here's where the race stands now:
At 31 years old, Jacobs will be the youngest Representative from California, according to the Associated Press.
A Democrat, she worked as a policy advisor for the Obama administration. She has never held public office, but the third-generation San Diegan founded the nonprofit San Diego for Every Child. She's also the granddaughter of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs.
She plans to focus on A top issue for Jacobs involves economic relief for those struggling from the pandemic. She also plans to focus on environmental issues.
This was Jacobs' second run for Congress. She ran in the 49th District in 2018 but came in third in the primary.
