Abortion and immigration are top of mind for both candidates vying to represent California’s 49th Congressional District – one of the most closely watched races in the state and among the most competitive in the U.S.
The district runs along the coast from Orange County down into San Diego, including the communities of Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista and more.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Mike Levin is seeking a fourth term against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson, who previously owned car dealerships and ran for state senate in 2022.
Levin was first elected in 2018, flipping the district in a blue-wave midterm that crested particularly high in suburban battlegrounds across the U.S.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Both candidates acknowledge that control of the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance, with the district one of 40 that the National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting as “prime pick-up opportunities.”
“This is a consummate purple district in America — it is a third, a third, a third,” said Gunderson.
Levin and Gunderson both noted the district has a slim 2% Democratic registration advantage.
Local
“This is a closely fought contest every two years,” Levin said. “I think it’s a consequential election in our district and all across the country for so many reasons.”
The first reason he named was abortion, which is critical among suburban women, a must-win demographic in North County and nationwide.
“I want to see Roe vs. Wade become the law of the land,” Levin said.
The Democrat said he believed codifying abortion rights would be possible with a carveout to the U.S. Senate filibuster.
“I'm a pro-choice Republican,” Gunderson sauid. “I believe abortion should be safe, legal and rare.”
On this issue, Gunderson called himself a “political unicorn” within the GOP. California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson said in an interview last month, “We’re a pro-life party. I don’t know how I could be more clear.”
When asked how he squares that with his personal beliefs, Gunderson said, “Like I told somebody, I'd like my daughters to agree with everything that their dad says and that's not likely to happen,” adding that he earned more votes in the primary election than his three Republican opponents combined.
“My opponent and I are vastly different,” Levin said. “That’s why Planned Parenthood has only endorsed me in this race. They know I'm the only one that is actually pro-choice.”
Also key in southern California: immigration. Both candidates said the bipartisan border-security bill that failed to clear the U.S. Senate earlier this year — after former President Donald Trump opposed it — involved a lot of political grandstanding.
“Trump killed it and, you know, what happened after that is unfortunately a lot of talking at each other rather than with each other,” Levin said. “I'm committed to working with my colleagues across the aisle to try to get something done.”
“We have to start with Remain in Mexico — you know, catch and release — we have to tighten the asylum restrictions instead of expand them,” Gunderson said. “We just have to again be serious about getting control of our back door, and then we can have a serious conversation about comprehensive reform.”
And in a tight race, both candidates tried to tie the other to their respective parties’ leaders.
“He is in lockstep with the Biden-Harris administration, and I guarantee you this district is not in lockstep with the Progressive Caucus and every single Democratic agenda item,” Gunderson said.
“To those who are tired, I'm tired, too, of the ineffectiveness, of the chaos, dysfunction and extremism that I've seen from Mike Johnson," Levin said. "Evidently, my opponent's fine with it."
Campaign finance records show that since 2023, Gunderson has loaned his campaign $2.1 million and raised $1.2 million more. Levin has raised $4.6 million over the same period, according to the Federal Election Commission filings.
