Democrat wins House race to retain seat in California’s 21st district

Longtime Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., has won re-election in California’s 21st Congressional District after more than a week of counting ballots, according to the Associated Press.

He successfully kept his seat against Republican challenger Michael Maher.

The race was one of the final pending House races of the 2024 cycle, called more than a week after Election Day.

Costa has represented the district since 2005, which includes the San Joaquin Valley, but the Democrat’s political work in California stretches back decades. 

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Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., speaks during the Bipartisan Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act news conference in the U.S. Capitol. (Bill Clark)

Costa served in the California State Assembly from 1978 to 1994, before being elected to the California State Senate from 1994 to 2002.

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The Democrat faced Republican opposition from California native Michael Maher, a veteran and former FBI agent.