Democratic Rep. Mike Levin is leading challenger Republican Matt Gunderson in the closely watched race for California’s 49th Congressional District, early results show Tuesday night. Partial early election returns released just after the polls closed Tuesday show Levin with the edge in a district that straddles two counties. “We are encouraged by the results so far and are confident that we will prevail when all the ballots are counted,” Levin said in a statement to the Union-Tribune. Levin has a double-digit lead in San Diego County, and Gunderson has a razor-thin lead in what is thus far essentially a tie in Orange County. Both men live in south Orange County, although San Diego’s North County represents a larger portion of the coastal congressional district that stretches roughly from Del Mar to Laguna Niguel. Elsewhere, in the 51st District, Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, is fending off a challenge from Republican El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells by a wide margin. The three other seats in San Diego’s congressional delegation were not very competitive, and if the initial spread of results holds, those incumbents are headed back to Washington, D.C. Longtime Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, appeared to be easily headed toward re-election to his 48th District over Democratic challenger Stephan Houlahan, leading in San Diego County — where most of the district is — as well as Riverside County. Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat, looks to be headed to a seventh term, with a wide double-digit lead over Republican Peter Bono in the 50th Congressional District. Paul Freeman, 16, left, greets 49th Congressional District candidate Matt Gunderson during his campaign party at the San Juan Hills Golf Club in San Juan Capistrano on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photos by Karen Tapia) Rep. Juan Vargas’ lead — also up by double digits — is not a surprise. Republican challenger Justin Lee was Vargas’ only opponent in the primary for the 52nd Congressional District, and the six-term Democrat bested him in that race by 30 points. The tightest local congressional battle is between three-term incumbent Levin and challenger Gunderson, who owns car dealerships in Mission Viejo. It’s a district Democrats need to hold as they try to return to the House majority. Regarded as a battleground district, the 49th had been in Republican hands for several years until Levin took it in 2018 — but the race has grown more competitive since 2021 redistricting reduced its Democratic tilt. Polling numbers released last week had Levin with a 13-point lead. The poll, from SurveyUSA for the Union-Tribune and Channel 10, was conducted the last week of October. Roughly nine in 10 poll respondents who cited their top issues as either abortion or climate change backed Levin. Among those who said immigration was their most important issue, 73% backed Gunderson. The businessman also led by 16 points with people who said the economy was the biggest concern. During the campaign, Levin told the Union-Tribune that the region’s top concerns are the cost of living, climate change and border security. He said he supports enshrining Roe v. Wade into federal law and pointed to helping secure $930 million for projects in the district. Gunderson told the Union-Tribune he was running to “strengthen our economy, secure our border, restore public safety and protect our beautiful Southern California coastline.” He said he believes abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.”