Long-time Fresno congressman wins California midterm election, a success for Democrats

Rep. Jim Costa secured his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating a Republican challenger in a race that was called a week after election night.

When the Associated Press projected Costa would win, he had more than 55% of the votes in the newly drawn 21st Congressional District. More than 81% of the votes had been counted. His challenger, businessman and veteran Michael Maher, had less than 45%.

The win comes as Republicans are on the cusp of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. As of Tuesday night, Democrats won 209 seats; Republicans, 217.

A party needs 218 seats to hold the majority.

A predicted “red wave” never came into fruition. The slimmer the majority, the harder it will be for the Speaker of the House — like Republican Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield — to pass GOP-favored legislation.

It could take days, or weeks, for a winner to emerge in other too-close-to-call San Joaquin Valley races.

Congressman Jim Costa

Costa, 70, first took public office 44 years ago. He currently represents California’s 16th Congressional District, which will cease to exist at the start of the next congressional term in January when new maps from redistricting take hold. The current 16th covers all of Merced County and parts of Fresno and Madera counties.

Redistricting, the once-a-decade redrawing of legislative boundaries based on 2020 Census data, put Costa in the new 21st District. It holds most of the city of Fresno and covers parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.

The California congressman is part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group that looks for common ground in policy. Costa is a prominent member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a collection of moderate Democrats who press for “fiscally responsible” legislation.

He sits on House committees for agriculture, natural resources and foreign affairs, which cover some of his mainstay issues.

Costa has worked to secure funding for Central Valley water access, infrastructure and health care projects. He firmly stands against the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established federal abortion protections almost 50 years ago.

As a freshman congressman, alongside former Republican Rep. Ted Poe, Costa founded the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus that seeks to help victims of crime. He was an original cosponsor of the act to provide a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

Costa is a third-generation Central Valley farmer whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from the Azores. He was raised on a dairy farm in Kearney Park.

The Democrat first took political office as a member of the California State Assembly in 1978 at age 26, then the youngest member of the Legislature. Costa served in the Assembly for 16 years and the State Senate for eight.

Other Central Valley races

About an hour after the AP projected Costa’s win, the news organizations called the race in California’s 9th Congressional District for Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, and McCarthy emerged as clear winners on election night. The next day, McCarthy announced his bid to become Speaker of the House.

Around Sacramento, Democratic Reps. Doris Matsui, Ami Bera and Mike Thompson all won in their districts.

The races in the 13th and 22nd are tight.

In the 13th, Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, pulled ahead of Republican farmer John Duarte for the first time since election night on Monday. Come Tuesday, Gray had 50.3% of the votes with almost 86% counted, per the AP.

In the 22nd, Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, remained just behind Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. Valadao had 52.4% of the votes with almost 64% counted, according to the AP.

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