Whitesides captures L.A. County congressional seat in a major victory for Democrats

Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff and a first-time candidate, will represent northern Los Angeles County in Congress next year after defeating Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in one of the nation’s most fiercely contested House races.

Whitesides’ narrow victory against the thrice-elected Republican incumbent is a bright spot for the Democratic Party amid a decisive rightward shift in American politics, with voters sending President-elect Donald Trump back to the White House and Republicans seizing control of the U.S. Senate. As of Tuesday afternoon, Republicans appeared likely to retain control of the House of Representatives, though votes were still being counted in several races that will determine which party wins the majority.

If Republicans gain control of both chambers, Trump probably will have support for enacting his stated policy priorities, including an increase in tariffs, new tax breaks and deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally — though a narrow win by Republicans could complicate the agenda.

“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,” Whitesides, who lives in Agua Dulce, said in a statement posted on social media Monday evening after Garcia conceded.

Whitesides told The Times on Tuesday that he planned to focus on “results” in Washington.

“People are hungry for folks to actually solve problems rather than just tweet and send out press releases,” he said. “Authentically, the reason I ran is because I am good at solving problems and we have a bunch of them right now.”

Democrats’ long-shot path to taking power could run through California, home to several competitive House races, most of which remained too close to call Tuesday. Key races in suburban Orange and Riverside counties and the rural Central Valley remain outstanding.

Nationwide, 16 House races had yet to be called, according to the Associated Press. Republicans needed to win just four to keep their slim majority, while Democrats would need to win a dozen seats to gain control.

Although votes were still being counted in northern L.A. County’s 27th Congressional District, Garcia conceded Monday evening, with 83% of ballots counted. At that point, Whitesides led by 2.4 percentage points, or 6,983 votes.

“I will always seek to serve this wonderful nation in any capacity and remain at her disposal for the maintenance of her splendor, the security of her people and the protection of her future,” Garcia, of Santa Clarita, said in his statement.

He promised to ensure “a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages” to Whitesides and his team.

Dan Gottlieb, a spokesman for House Democrats’ campaign operation, called Whitesides’ victory “a hopeful reminder that Californians want pragmatic leadership when our country needs it most.”

“As we wait for all Californians to have their voices heard, we remain confident that George will be joined by other Democratic champions who will offer true representation to California and hold the next administration accountable,” Gottlieb said.

The race between Garcia, 48, and Whitesides, 50, had been considered a toss-up and was closely watched across the country as one of several swing districts that could help determine which party wins control of the House.

The once staunchly conservative district — which stretches from Santa Clarita to the Kern County line and includes the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale — has become more favorable in recent years to Democrats, whose growing voter registration advantage made Garcia one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the country.

Redistricting after the 2020 census made the district bluer by excising conservative Simi Valley. Just over 41% of registered voters are Democrats, and about 30% are Republicans. More than a fifth are independents.

Garcia, a former Navy pilot and former executive with defense contractor Raytheon, first won his seat in a 2020 special election after Katie Hill — a millennial Democrat who had unseated a Republican incumbent in 2018 — resigned amid a sex scandal.

Garcia retained his seat in two subsequent elections. In all three elections, he defeated the same Democratic rival, former state Assemblywoman Christy Smith.

Whitesides — the deep-pocketed former chief executive of Mojave-based Virgin Galactic, who lent his campaign more than $1 million — had major backing from the Democratic Party, which did not rally as forcefully around Smith. The top Democrat in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, came to the Antelope Valley last month to campaign for Whitesides, a sign of the race’s importance to the national party.

Whitesides campaigned as a moderate, focusing on reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights — as well as increasing funding for law enforcement. He came out in favor of Proposition 36, the successful statewide ballot measure that calls for stiffer penalties for some drug and theft crimes. Whitesides told The Times he supported the measure — which was endorsed by the California Republican Party but divided Democrats — because residents want to get smash-and-grab robberies under control and are “rightly concerned about public safety.”

The congressman-elect — who says he created more than 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita while leading Virgin Galactic — focused heavily on jobs, telling The Times that he did so because so many of the district’s residents endure long commutes to work in Los Angeles while living in the Antelope Valley, where housing is more affordable.

“People are hungry for local job opportunities so they don’t have to spend four hours on the road,” Whitesides said.

He cast Garcia as a pro-Trump sycophant, emphasizing the congressman’s vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election results after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and his push to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

As a first-time candidate, Whitesides had no voting record to scrutinize. So, Garcia focused on his opponent’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to progressive candidates and causes, attempting to portray him as a far-left megadonor using his personal wealth to try to buy a congressional seat.

Garcia focused heavily on California’s high cost of living and gasoline, blaming both on Democrats. Garcia, the son of a Mexican immigrant who moved to the U.S. in 1959, also leaned into the GOP message of strengthening immigration enforcement along the southern border.

In a summer town hall in Santa Clarita, he said his late father “came here legally” and “did it right” and that illegal immigration is one of the nation’s biggest threats. In Congress, he voted against creating a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Whitesides said Tuesday that he and his family were adjusting to the news of his victory a week after election day.

“My kids are 12 and 14,” he said. “I think it’s starting to sink in for them that their dad is going to go to Congress.”