The race between Republican challenger Matt Gunderson and Democratic incumbent Mike Levin in a congressional district straddling the San Diego and Orange County line was thought to be competitive from the beginning. Now it appears to be even more so, judging by a flurry of campaign spending and a closely watched political barometer. The widely respected Cook Political Report recently downgraded Levin’s advantage in the 49th Congressional District, which is now ranked as “lean” Democratic instead of the previous, more comfortable designation for the incumbent of “likely” Democratic. Further, the Democratic House Majority PAC has funneled at least $1.56 million into the Levin effort. That may have been partly the result of signs the race is tightening, but also the reality that Gunderson, previously the owner of Orange County car dealerships, has loaned at least $2 million of his own money to his campaign, according to finance reports. Nevertheless, Levin still leads in overall fundraising. But the 49th has long been deemed a swing district and Levin early on was identified by the Democratic Party as a top incumbent to protect in California. So it’s not surprising that party resources are being put behind him in the final weeks of the election, though the amount may signal concern about momentum from Gunderson. Polls aren’t always consistent, but they can shape perceptions at the very least. A SurveyUSA poll of the 49th conducted Oct. 2-6 for The San Diego Union-Tribune and KGTV-10News had Levin up by 12 points. A poll conducted Oct. 5-8 for the Republican Party, which has received statewide media attention, had Levin up by 1 point. Competitive though it may be, most analysts haven’t considered the 49th District a top California battleground for control of the House, with attention instead focused on a handful of districts in Orange and Los Angeles counties, the Inland Empire and the Central Valley. Just last month, Politico identified the 49th as among a small handful of “sleeper” races in California that are overshadowed by House elections considered “toss-ups” by the Cook report, but could produce surprises. Levin has been elected three times, in presidential and non-presidential election years. Presidential elections are thought to give Democrats more of a turnout boost, but a lot of conventional wisdom has been scrambled by the matchup between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Gunderson may be making headway with what essentially is his campaign mantra in virtually all of his advertising, interviews and debates with Levin. “I’m a political outsider and a businessman and I’m a pro-choice Republican,” he says, adding, “I’m not like any other candidate Mike Levin has faced before.” Indeed, on the latter point, Levin’s opponents were fairly well-defined, conservative elected officials who opposed abortion. On the former point, Levin would like a word. While Gunderson says he supports abortion rights, though not late-term abortions, he agrees with the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling establishing constitutional protections for abortion. That leaves abortion law in the hands of individual states, something both Trump and Gunderson say they support. More than 20 states now have some form of abortion ban. “You cannot be pro-choice when you believe states have the right to ban all abortions,” Levin said earlier this month. Gunderson also opposed Proposition 1, the 2022 voter-approved measure that amends the California Constitution to protect access to abortion and contraception. Gunderson’s position on abortion has received national attention. Stories by The Washington Post and CNN have featured Gunderson among Republican House candidates trying to separate themselves from the GOP’s long-held opposition to abortion, particularly since the recent Supreme Court ruling. Gunderson has further focused on border enforcement, crime and cost of living, particularly gas prices. Levin notes the Republican did not support the Senate bipartisan border enforcement bill that would have bolstered Border Patrol forces and that inflation has been shrinking. Levin has pursued improving benefits for veterans, environmental protections and efforts to remove spent radioactive fuel from the grounds of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant. Gunderson supports extending the Trump tax cuts while Levin backs tax cuts for the middle class, but not for the wealthy and corporations. Levin has shown resilience in the district, formerly a Republican stronghold and regular GOP target that has shifted politically over the years, giving Democrats a slight edge in voter registration. Gunderson performed well in an overlapping state Senate district in 2022, when he was narrowly defeated by Democrat Catherine Blakespear, former mayor of Encinitas. Levin regularly points out that Gunderson’s 2022 effort received considerable financial backing from the oil industry and that the Republican is an Exxon shareholder. Gunderson says that while Levin says his campaign does not accept corporate donations, he receives money from party leadership funds that do. The two candidates are spending a lot of money this time around. According to the Orange County Register, Levin reported raising $4.8 million through Sept. 30 and had $1.4 million left to spend.  Gunderson reported raising $3.4 million through Sept. 30, including personal loans of $2.1 million. He had $325,984 left. New fundraising reports due out later this week may reveal a lot more money was spent Oct. 1-16. There may be higher-profile House races in California, but nobody will be sleeping on this one down the stretch.