Dem Harley Rouda unseats Rohrabacher in swing California district

Democrat Harley Rouda was declared the winner in the House race in California’s 48th District on Saturday, adding another seat to the party’s majority.

Rouda, a businessman and first-time candidate, unseated longtime Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) in his competitive Orange County district.

The Associated Press called the race Saturday evening after additional mail-in ballots were were counted.{mosads}

The GOP congressman was a top Democratic target since he represented one of seven GOP-held seats in California that former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

The demographic shifts made it a top priority on Democrats’ wish list. Rouda emerged from a hyper-competitive primary with help from national Democrats. Both parties spent millions of dollars on the 48th District as Democrats looked to flip 23 seats to regain the House majority.

Democrats also had a huge target on Rohrabacher’s back given his perceived strong ties to Russia, which has drawn scrutiny from both parties. Rohrabacher has served in Congress for more than 30 years.