California Republican congressman concedes competitive race to Democratic challenger

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., conceded his race to Democratic challenger George Whitesides on Tuesday as the final House races across the country start to get called.

Despite Garcia’s concession, the Associated Press has yet to call the race for Whitesides. As of Tuesday morning, Whitesides holds a 2-point lead with 83% of the vote counted. Whitesides’ lead is made up of roughly 7,000 votes.

“Since the age of 18 I have served this beautiful country,” Garcia said in a statement. “Representing the people of California’s 27th Congressional District the last 4.5 years has been an honor of a lifetime.”

Garcias went on to thank his family, staff and volunteers who worked on his campaign.

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“I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcias added.

Whitesides accepted Garcia’s concession in a statement on social media after the pair spoke on the phone.

“Rep. Garcia called me earlier to concede the race, and I thanked him for his years of service to our district and to the nation,” Whitesides wrote. “In Congress, you can count on me to fight to create more good local jobs, lower everyday costs, build safe communities, protect Social Security and Medicare, and protect reproductive freedom.”

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Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., has conceded his race for the state’s 27th Congressional District to challenger George Whitesides.

Garcia’s race was one of over a dozen House races that have yet to be decided. Republicans currently hold 214 seats, just 4 wins away from controlling the chamber.

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Many undeclared seats are in the western U.S. or in swing districts, including Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Maine and Alaska.

House Speaker Mike Johnson appears poised to keep his role, while Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces a steep path to a majority in the House. (Getty Images)

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The path to victory for a Democratic majority in the House is narrowing, with the party needing to sweep the most contested races to win power.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Sarah Rumpf Whitten contributed to this report.