Rep. George Miller’s hand-picked successor likely to win his seat

by Cameron Joseph - 06/04/14 12:06 PM ET

Retiring Rep. George Miller’s (D-Calif.) chosen successor outpaced his rivals in a primary election Tuesday and is in a good spot to win Miller’s seat this fall.

{mosads}California state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D) led the all-party primary field with 58 percent of the vote and will face Republican Tue Phan in November in the heavily Democratic East Bay district. He’s all but a lock to succeed Miller, a close ally of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who endorsed DeSaulnier shortly after Miller decided to retire.

California voters narrowed the field for a half-dozen open House seats on Tuesday night, including Miller’s and retiring Rep. Gary Miller’s (R-Calif.), where it appears Democrats have narrowly averted disaster.

Two Republicans made it to the general election to replace retiring House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), ending Democrats’ slim hopes of picking off his Republican-leaning seat. The Associated Press has called the race for California state Sen. Tony Strickland (R), a well-connected establishment favorite who has McKeon’s backing, and state Sen. Steve Knight (R), who Democrat Lee Rogers endorsed on Wednesday after conceding. The two Republicans will square off in the fall.

The AP hasn’t called the race for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) seat, but Republican Elan Carr is in first place with 21 percent of the vote and will likely face state Sen. Ted Lieu (D), who is in second place with 19 percent. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel (D), who finished in third place with 17 percent, conceded on Wednesday.

State Sen. Norma Torres (D), who’s backed by EMILY’s List and most of the California Democratic establishment, finished first in the race to replace retiring Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D) with 67 percent of the vote, and will be the heavy favorite in the fall against attorney Christina Gagnier (D).

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State Sen. Mimi Walters (R) led the field to replace retiring Rep. John Campbell (R) with 45 percent of the vote. She’ll be a the heavy favorite to win the solidly Republican seat against her Democratic opponent this fall.

This post was updated at 2:50 p.m.

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