WASHINGTON- Friday was the first day of work for the nine new members of the California House of Representatives, and their first order of business involved typical Congressional chaos, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) narrowly won the re-election to his position after almost losing the first round of voting.
The nine new representatives, all Democrats, including three who flipped Republican seats, voted for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). But Johnson, who has presided over the chamber since the fall of 2023, barely eked out a victory.
For the record:
4:31 pm January 3, 2025An earlier version of this report said former Rep. Michelle Steel defeated a congressional seat in 2020 held by Rep. Katie Porter. She defeated Rep. Harley Rouda.
As a Democratic stronghold on the West Coast, California is home to a group of Democratic leaders in Congress. Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) serve as chair and vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, respectively.
However, the state lost many of its heavyweights in recent years, most notably Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who resigned as speaker of the House of Representatives to pass the leadership torch to Jeffries . Although she no longer holds a leadership position, Pelosi remains a powerful figure among her colleagues in Congress. Still recovering from hip surgery, Pelosi smiled from the House floor Friday as she hugged Jeffries after voting for him for speaker.
Kevin McCarthy, the Bakersfield Republican who served as House speaker before a historic impeachment, left Congress in 2023. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in 2023. And after Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election , California will no longer have a leader in the White House.
Still, as the nation's most populous state, California enjoys the largest representation in the House with 52 delegates, down one after the 2020 census showed a population decline. Nine Californians were officially sworn in Friday afternoon to join the 119th Congress.
Here are the most recent representatives from California:
Rep. Derek Tran (D-Garden Grove): Tran won a very close race against incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican who held the 45th Congressional District seat in Orange County for two terms. Steel herself took the seat in 2020 from Democratic Representative Harley Rouda.
Rep. David Min (D-Irvine): When Democratic Rep. Katie Porter decided to run for the U.S. Senate, Min, then a state senator, ran and won the seat, keeping it under Democratic control.
Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Covina): Cisneros is a familiar name in California politics, having previously served in a different congressional district. He easily cruised to victory in his San Gabriel Valley Democratic district, succeeding outgoing Rep. Grace Napolitano.
Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale): Friedman, a former Assembly member, now represents Central Los Angeles County, taking over the seat long held by Adam B. Schiff, who handily won the open California Senate seat .
Rep. Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood): Rivas, a former member of the California Assembly and nonprofit leader, easily won the Democratic 29th Congressional District, representing the San Fernando Valley.
Rep. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce): Whitesides defeated Republican Rep. Mike Garcia, flipping the northeast Los Angeles County seat from red to blue.
Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced): The race in the Central Valley's 13th Congressional District was the last election in the country to be called, as Gray took the seat from Republican Rep. John Duarte. Gray, a former state legislator, ran as a centrist Democrat to win over the Central Valley's largely agricultural population.
Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose): Liccardo, former mayor of San Jose, represents the Bay Area in Congress.
Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland): Simon will fill the seat vacated by Rep. Barbara Lee, the former Democratic representative who lost the U.S. Senate primary.
