Democrat Katie Porter ran on a platform that included: Medicare for All, passing a ban on assault weapons, overturning President Donald Trump and the GOP's tax plan. | Chris Carlson/AP Photo Elections Porter ousts Walters in Southern California as Dems flip another seat

Southern California Rep. Mimi Walters was ousted Thursday night, the latest House Republican to lose their seat in the formerly deep-red Orange County.

The Associated Press called the 45th congressional district race with Democrat Katie Porter leading Walters, a two-term incumbent who previously served in the California senate, by just over 6,000 votes as ballots continue to be counted.


So far, Democrats have flipped five seats in the state that are held or were previously held by Republicans. The party needed a net of 23 seats to retake the House and so far has gained 37 seats, with four races still too close to call. One of those races, the 39th congressional district, a seat previously held by Ed Royce, is now trending towards a pick up as Democrat Gil Cisneros leads Republican Young Kim by 941 votes with ballots continuing to be counted in the populous Orange County, which borders Los Angeles County.

Walters' loss means the GOP is danger of not having a single representative in Congress from Orange County, a former Republican stronghold once home to Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Democrat Harley Rouda on Saturday claimed victory in the race for the county's 48th congressional district, unseating 15-term incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

After leading in election night returns, Walters was reportedly mounting a bid to head House Republicans' campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, before her lead began to shrink and then evaporate.

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Porter, a law professor and consumer advocate, ran on a platform that included: Medicare for All, passing a ban on assault weapons, overturning President Donald Trump and the GOP's tax plan along and curtailing the amount of outside money in congressional races. She was also once a student of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.