Democrat Salud Carbajal is projected to win the hotly contested race for California’s 24th Congressional District.
Carbajal, a Santa Barbara County supervisor, defeated Republican Justin Fareed for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Lois Capps, who served 18 years in office representing the district.
Capps won a special election in March 1998, taking over for her husband, Walter, who died of a heart attack only nine months into his term.
The race between the 51-year-old Carbajal and 28-year-old Fareed was bitter, with the candidates hurling personal attacks and sparring over issues such as income inequality, climate change, gun control, immigration and reproductive rights.
Carbajal is a member of President Obama’s Climate Action Task Force, and he said that helped him float recommendations on how fight the effects of climate change.
Carbajal was in the Marine Corps Reserve and immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 5 years old.
The race ranked among the top congressional races in the country for spending.