Rep. David Valadao's Win Gives GOP 220th House Seat (Newsmax)
By Eric Mack | Monday, 21 November 2022 10:13 PM EST
Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., is officially the winner of California's 22nd Congressional District, Newsmax can project Monday night.
Valadao defeated Democrat Rudy Salas by 3,358 votes (51,777-48,419), winning by a 3.6-point margin (51.68%-48.32%).
The victory secures the 220th House seat for Republicans to 211 for Democrats with four races remaining too close to call. The race took almost two weeks to be decided due to California's mass mail-in balloting and legalized ballot harvesting laws.
Among the four remaining races, Republicans lead two of them, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who's lead is headed for a state-mandated recount. Also, John Duarte holds a razor-thin lead in California's newly redrawn 15th Congressional District.
The other two races remain stuck in ranked-choice voting limbo in Alaska and Maine.
If both of the GOP leads hold, Republicans will have at least a 222-213 majority come January.
Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in early 2021 after Trump left office. He was targeted in the GOP primary but remains one of only two of those 10 impeachment GOP seats still in Congress.
Just one other remains in the House after these midterms: Rep. Dan Newhouse, D-Wash.