Preliminary election results show freshman Democratic incumbent Rep. Katie Porter with a wide lead over six Republicans who are, for now, splitting the GOP vote in their bid to emerge as the sole challenger in the November general election.

“I’m really honored to have your support,” Porter said in a video posted Wednesday to Twitter, “and I’m looking forward to continuing to have conversations with Orange County families and continuing to work to earn everyone’s vote in November.”

Greg Raths is steadily holding the second place spot, even as late mail-in and in-person ballots continue to be counted.

“We are excited for the results and looking forward to the battle ahead,” Raths said.

Don Sedgwick was in third place, followed by Peggy Huang, Lisa Sparks, Christopher Gonzales and Rhonda Furin, respectively.

The top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election. With no clear favorite among Porter’s six GOP challengers heading into the March 3 election, the CA-45 race has been the priciest primary battle in the county.

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Once a Republican stronghold, the district that stretches from Mission Viejo to Anaheim still leans red, barely, with Republicans holding a 2.7 percentage point advantage in voter registration. And Republicans are hoping a solid economy under President Donald Trump and messaging that local Democrats have gone too far to the left by backing ideas such as impeaching Trump could help them win back the swing seat in 2020.

But that GOP edge in CA-45 has been rapidly getting smaller. And whichever GOP challenger ultimately gets the most votes after all March 3 ballots are tallied will likely move on to a tough and pricey November race with Porter, who’s become a national figure since her surprise win against Republican incumbent Mimi Walters flipped the district blue two years ago.

Porter is a former consumer protections attorney and UC Irvine law professor. She’s a single mom to three school-aged kids and travels home to Irvine from Washington, D.C. each weekend to volunteer with their Cub and Boy scout troops.

In congress, Porter has introduced legislation aimed at increasing consumer protections, boosting health care and lowering drug prices. After pledging in her 2018 campaign to make political reform a top priority, Porter said she’s most proud of helping to pass H.R. 1, which she calls “the most comprehensive democracy and money in politics reform legislation since Watergate.” The bill included an amendment she introduced to make it easier for working parents to run for office.

Videos of Porter grilling executives and Trump officials have gone viral, helping her earn $3.9 million in donations this cycle — more than any other primary candidate in Orange County. But Porter has so far focused much of her efforts on stumping for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, which led to missing a few House votes. That’s the only real controversy she’s seen during her first term beyond split opinions over whether her showing up to congress on Halloween in a Batgirl costume was inappropriate or endearing.

The six Republicans challenging Porter in the primary all plan to vote for President Donald Trump in November and all opposed his impeachment. They all also oppose universal health care and California’s sanctuary laws to protect undocumented immigrants.

But their views range on other issues. Candidates such as retired Marine colonel Raths and retired teacher Furin are on the more conservative end, regularly speaking of their support for Trump and railing against illegal immigration. And candidates such as deputy district attorney Huang and communications professor Sparks are on the more moderate end of the GOP spectrum, with both supporting gay marriage while Sparks also supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Laguna Hills Mayor Sedgwick, 55, has steadily raised the most money, with $860,196 in donations as of Tuesday. Sedgwick, who owns a wholesale jewelry business, is campaigning on a platform of increased support for the military, tough immigration policies and cutting the federal deficit. That’s earned him endorsements from local politicians and former U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch. He’s held local office for more than 23 years, raised four children and lives with his wife in Laguna Hills.

Huang, who serves on the Yorba Linda City Council, said her work as an attorney led her to author two bills protecting foster children, which state legislators signed into law. She’s raised $451,506 and earned the most endorsements among CA-45 challengers, including from the Orange County Congress of Republicans. Huang, 49, is campaigning on a more progressive Republican platform, with promises to be tough on crime and boost school choice while also reducing student loan debt and protecting wildlife. She’s a Taiwanese immigrant, a mom and a cancer survivor.

Sparks, who sits on the OC Board of Education, has also raised solid money, at $495,456. And she’s nabbed endorsements, including from State Assemblyman Tyler Diep. The mother of four recently took leave from her role as dean of the communications school at Chapman University to focus on her campaign. Sparks, 53, is pledging to cut taxes, modernize schools and ease regulations so more affordable homes can be built.

Raths, a Mission Viejo councilman, is neck-in-neck with Huang in terms of fundraising. He also has backing from the Greater Irvine Republicans despite some campaign hiccups, such as blowback after he paid for a couple celebrity video endorsements. His campaign website states he’s running on a conservative platform of cutting taxes, ending benefits for undocumented immigrants and boosting national security. Raths declined to answer the Register’s questions about his positions and policy plans on key issues.

Furin, 55, is a political newcomer who hasn’t reported any fundraising this cycle. The Anaheim Hills resident is campaigning on education reform, including merit-based teacher pay, along with “stopping socialism” by opposing programs such as universal health care. Furin is also the only CA-45 candidate who wants to reduce regulation aimed at addressing climate change and who supports the Trump tax plan’s cap on state and local tax or SALT deductions.

Rounding out the CA-45 race is Gonzales, an attorney from Irvine who has raised $18,362 this cycle. Gonzales, 55, is a former first lieutenant in the Army who’s now active in his local church. He’s previously made unsuccessful bids to serve an Irvine mayor and a city councilman. Gonzales wants to push for increasing social security benefits, boosting border security and defunding Planned Parenthood.

Huang and Sparks don’t currently live in CA-45. Huang lives just outside the district in Yorba Linda but went to school in Irvine. And Sparks temporarily lives in Newport Beach, where Chapman University owns a home for its president — a role now held by her husband, Daniele Strupp. Sparks otherwise lives in Irvine.