California US House races could help tilt power in Congress

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
AP Political Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is a heavily Democratic state, but the Republican Party retains pockets of strength in U.S. House districts that will be among the country’s marquee elections in the fight to control Congress. House Republicans need to capture only a handful of seats nationally to seize the majority from Democrats and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. No incumbents appear in dire trouble in Tuesday’s California primary, but it could be a different story in November. The main battlegrounds are Southern California’s Orange County and the Central Valley farm belt. Democrats are looking to claw back four seats the party lost in 2020.