RESULTS
(Last updated 6:02 a.m. Wednesday)
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Katie Porter* | 62,552 | 48.1% |
| Rhonda Furin | 1,399 | 1.1% |
| Christopher J. Gonzales | 3,278 | 2.5% |
| Peggy Huang | 14,692 | 11.3% |
| Greg Raths | 24,582 | 18.9% |
| Don Sedgwick | 18,002 | 13.9% |
| Lisa Sparks | 5,426 | 4.2% |
* Incumbent
These results reflect 100% of precincts reporting, according to the Secretary of State. Keep in mind that even after all precincts have been counted, there will still be ballots to count. In some cases, it could be weeks before the official outcome is clear.
Two years ago, Katie Porter became the first-ever Democratic Congresswoman for the 45th district, which spans several inland Orange County cities including Orange, Mission Viejo and Irvine.
In Tuesday’s primary, the incumbent faced six Republican challengers in the county's most crowded congressional race. But as of early Wednesday morning, results indicated Greg Raths, a city councilman from Mission Viejo, was in second place ahead of his GOP rivals.
Meanwhile, Porter’s campaign manager Nora Walsh-Devries was optimistic going into the November election, citing the congresswoman’s record on health care and consumer protections.
"The race that we’re going to run -- we don’t have to do anything than highlight the great work she’s been doing," Walsh-Devries said Tuesday night as primary results rolled in.
The 45th is among key districts that went to Democrats two years ago as part of Orange County's "blue wave."
As for Raths, a retired Marine colonel, he issued a statement Tuesday night that read: “I will use every breath in my body to fight for the hard working residents of the 45th district.”
Late Tuesday night, Raths maintained a narrow lead among the GOP candidates.
