KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsDemocrat favored in Northern Calif. House race
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Associated Press - November 3, 2009 8:04 PM ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Not taking an easy victory for granted, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi spent Election Day greeting supporters at a union office and a coffee shop in his final push to get voters to the polls in a Northern California congressional race.
The Democrat and longtime player on California's political stage is favored in the 10th Congressional District, where Democrats hold an 18-point registration edge over Republicans. The seat opened up when the Democratic incumbent took a job in the Obama administration.
Garamendi's Republican opponent -- lawyer David Harmer -- has been trying to appeal to voters concerned about the pace of spending by the federal government, betting that a message of fiscal conservatism will resonate amid an ongoing recession.
Election officials in the congressional district's four counties reported light traffic at the polls Tuesday, but it was not a surprise. Special elections generally see lighter turnout, and nearly half the district's 365,000 registered voters are signed up to vote by mail.
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