Cristina Garcia: Last News

Four gay Southern California House candidates survived their primary contests Tuesday and are headed to the fall ballot. Both Congressmember Mark Takano (D-Riverside) and gay Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia are now expected to easily win their races come November.Former federal prosecutor Will Rollins is now seen as having a strong road to victory, based on the results of his primary race against Congressmember Ken Calvert (R-Corona). Meanwhile, Derek Marshall is facing an uphill climb to defeat Congressmember Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia).Garcia, a Democrat, had been the odds-on favorite to finish first in his primary contest for the new, open 42nd Congressional District along the coast of Los Angeles County. And he didn't disappoint, landing in the top spot with 44.7% of the vote Tuesday, according to unofficial returns.Capturing the second spot to advance to the November 8 general election ballot was Republican John Briscoe with 28.7% of the vote. Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) was in a distant third place with 12.7% of the vote.Since the district is heavily Democratic, with the six Democrats on Tuesday's ballot receiving a combined 69.2% of the vote, Garcia should easily win the seat in the fall. He will become the first openly gay immigrant to serve in Congress, having been born in Lima, Peru and moving to the U.S. at age 5."Honored and proud to be your Democratic nominee for Congress tonight. Thank you!" Garcia tweeted.