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By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated press
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Candidate for the first time, Josh Harder, beat Republican Republican Republican Jeff Denham on Tuesday after four votes after updating the count of votes on Tuesday.
Harder, 32, a venture capitalist, had focused his campaign on Denham's vote against the Affordable Care Act, while arguing that he would push for universal health care in Congress. He also claimed that Denham and other Washington Republicans had ignored poverty and health care in the 10th agricultural district of Central Valley, California.
As votes continue to be counted, Harder's advantage increased after Denham took a slim lead on Election Day. After the last update, Harder had a lead of 4,919 votes out of about 185,000 votes counted, a margin too large for the congressman to overcome with the remaining votes.
Denham, 51, had described Harder as a Silicon Valley liberal insider, whose values were closer to those of the Democratic House Leader, Nancy Pelosi, than a district renowned for her cherries and herbs. almonds. He posted an ad on Twitter called "extreme".
The contest was part of a series of showcase battles in California in Republican districts targeted by Democrats after Hillary Clinton brought them to the 2016 presidential election.
The seat of Denham is the fourth of these districts chosen by the Democrats since polling day. Two other competitions remain too close to be followed.
For state republicans, the defeat of Denham marked another setback in a state where the party had been moving away for years to become irrelevant. Democrats occupy all positions in the state, a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature and a benefit of 3.7 million registered children.
With Harder's victory, Democrats will have at least a 43-10 advantage in the US House.
Denham had been revealed to be a sustainable politician in a district 129 kilometers east of San Francisco, with a Democratic registration boundary. The former legislator elected for the first time in the House of Commons in 2010 is known for his involvement in the water issues that are vital for agriculture. Addressing the Hispanic population of his district, he urged Congress to consider the possibility of becoming a citizen for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States in their childhood and illegally staying there.
Denham won by 3 percentage points in 2016.
This year's race attracted a torrent of campaign dollars: Harder raised more than $ 6 million and Denham $ 4.5 million. At least 26 outside groups spent an additional $ 10 million trying to influence the race, according to California Target Book, which analyzes the campaigns.
Denham attributed the tight race to the money that was flowing out of the district. But he became another victim a year ago when Democrats regained control of the House.
Other California Republican incumbents to lose this year include Dana Rohrabacher's 15-seat representative in the 48th Orange County District and Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th district, north of Los Angeles. The Democrats have also resumed the seat of retired Republican Darrell Issa in the San Diego area.
President Donald Trump has been a factor in the losses of the GOP. He lost California by more than 4 million votes in 2016, and many voters saw the opportunity to vote against him when they voted for the Democrats.
The so-called "resistance" of Trump, California, is opposed to his policy on the environment and immigration.
Harder, a technology investor born and raised in the district, said voters were trying to thwart Trump's policies that "worsened the situation for most people in this community."
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