California's 27th Congressional District Flips Blue: George Whitesides Defeats Mike Garcia

 

By Santa Clarita Star Staff

 

George Whitesides has won the election for California’s 27th Congressional District after incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia conceded. The latest vote count from the Los Angeles County Registrar showed Whitesides leading by 6,983 votes, prompting Garcia’s call to acknowledge his defeat. Whitesides expressed gratitude to his supporters and pledged to focus on local jobs, affordability, and protections for Social Security, Medicare, and reproductive rights as he prepares to take office.

 

SANTA CLARITA  — George Whitesides has been elected to represent California’s 27th Congressional District after incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia conceded the race. Garcia called Whitesides to acknowledge his defeat following Monday’s update from the Los Angeles County Registrar, which showed Whitesides leading by 6,983 votes. Major news networks, such as ABC and NBC, called the race for Whitesides on the evening of November 11, 2024.

 

“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be elected to serve our district in Congress and deliver for Santa Clarita, the Antelope Valley, and the San Fernando Valley,” Whitesides wrote in a press release. “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. In Congress, you can count on my to fight to create more good local jobs, lower everyday costs, build safe communities, protect Social Security and Medicare, and protect reproductive freedom. To my amazing team, I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and passion you’ve put into this race. And to the thousands of volunteers and supporters who fueled and launched this campaign – you made this possible.”

 

Garcia also issued a statement:

“Since the age of 18, I have served this beautiful country. Representing the people of California’s 27^th Congressional District the last 4.5 years has been an honor of a lifetime. I want to thank my family for making the sacrifices, and my team and my volunteers for working harder than any other team in the nation during this journey of providence. We achieved so much in a short period of time. We truly made history and saved lives. I’m proud of all we’ve done. 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. Most importantly, I thank the people of CA-27 for allowing me to represent them during a tumultuous and critical period in our Nation’s history. I spoke to 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.”

 

Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, November 10, that Whitesides was likely to flip the seat.

 

“This is one place Dems are getting great news, as George Whitesides is now significantly favored over CA27 Rep. Mike Garcia (R) – and a GOP source of mine already touting Garcia for a Trump administration job,” Wasserman wrote.

 

“I’m so so glad I got to kick off a canvass for George the weekend before the election,” Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, posted on X. “The silver lining to my personal election work. Not only did he flip a Republican seat, but he’s a brilliant and kind person. Yay Rep-elect Whitesides.”

 

Whitesides’ victory marks a significant shift in California’s 27th Congressional District, flipping a Republican seat in a hotly contested race that drew national attention. Whitesides will be sworn in to represent the 27th District when Congress reconvenes in January.