Early returns show Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has a commanding lead in the race for the 42nd Congressional District over Republican John Briscoe in this open race.

Garcia, a Democrat, has 64% of the vote (48,410 votes) while Briscoe has 36% (27,467 votes).

Registered Democrats hold a strong advantage in the newly redrawn 42nd District, which runs from the Port of Long Beach through East Long Beach, then north through Lakewood, Bellflower and Downey to Huntington Park and Bell Gardens.

Garcia easily won the Democratic Party nomination in the June Primary election and has since been endorsed by a long list of officials and organizations including Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, three dozen members of Congress and more than 30 labor unions. Briscoe, a real estate broker and Ocean View School District trustee, previously ran for Congress in 2018 and 2020 against Rep. Alan Lowenthal, losing each time by nearly 30 percentage points.

Lowenthal, a five-term Congressman, announced his retirement in December.

Garcia campaigned on civil liberties issues like abortion and voting rights, raising the minimum wage, increasing paths to citizenship for immigrants and the need for added restrictions on handguns and semi-automatic rifles. Briscoe ran on conservative issues like putting more security at the borders, making it easier for judges to sentence homeless substance abusers to treatment or prison and increasing private sector influence in health care.

Garcia’s campaign raised six times what Briscoe’s campaign brought in, $1.6 million to $264,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Garcia also spent 73 times what Briscoe spent, $1.3 million to just $17,000, according to the CRP.

Turnout in the 42nd District was 15% going into Election Day, according to Political Data Intelligence.

For up-to-date election results, visit lbpost.com/elections.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional election results.