LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The races to represent Lake County in the U.S. House of Representatives and the California Assembly were decided by wide margins on Tuesday night.
Congressman Mike Thompson and John Garamendi won the races for the Fifth and Third Congressional districts, respectively, while Mariko Yamada took the victory for the Fourth Assembly District.
Thompson previously had represented all of Lake County. However, redistricting resulted in the new Fifth District covering the southern part of Lake County as well as all or parts of Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Contra Costa counties.
With 91 percent of the vote counted early Wednesday morning, Thompson led the race with 74 percent of the vote to Republican challenger Randy Loftin’s 26 percent, the California Secretary of State’s Office reported.
Thompson said Tuesday night that he was honored by the overwhelming show of support he received throughout the district.
“With the election behind us, it is time to move forward – not divided as Republicans and Democrats, but united as Americans – with the common purpose of building a stronger nation where hard work is rewarded and everyone has a fair shot at success,” Thompson said.
He promised to “continue working with people on both sides of the aisle to make sure that if folks work hard and play by the rules, then they will have the opportunity to put food on the table, gas in their car, buy a home, send their kids to college and put some money away for retirement.”
Garamendi and Colusa County Supervisor Kim Vann had been engaged in a tough race for the Third Congressional District, which was redrawn to cover the northern part of Lake County as well as all or parts of Colusa, Glenn, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.
With 88 percent of the vote in early Wednesday, Garamendi led with 53.1 percent of the vote to Vann’s 46.9 percent, the Secretary of State’s Office said.
In the Fourth District Assembly race, as of 1:30 a.m., with 90 percent of the precincts reporting, Yamada led the Assembly race with 60.8 percent compared to Republican challenger John Munn’s 39.2 percent, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, who has long represented Lake County in the state Legislature, now represents the Assembly’s Second District, which is farther up the North Coast. He beat Democrat Tom Lynch Tuesday night.
In the statewide race for U.S. Senate, with 75 percent of the precincts counted, the Secretary of State’s Office reported that Dianne Feinstein led with 60.5 percent of the vote to Republican Elizabeth Emken’s 39.5 percent.
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