By Associated Press - Tuesday, June 5, 2018

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on Congressional races in California’s primary election (all times local):

11:20 p.m.

Endangered Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is headed for the November election.

Early returns in Tuesday’s California primary election show the 15-term Republican easily advanced to a two-candidate showdown for the Orange County seat this fall.

Several candidates were jockeying for the second spot, including Republican Scott Baugh and Democrats Harley Rouda and Hans Keirstead.

It’s possible the two Republicans could snag both spots, which would lock out Democrats from a race the party had targeted.

Rohrabacher’s 48th District was carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, and Democrats see an opportunity to oust a congressman whose name has come up in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

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11 p.m.

Republican Rep. Jeff Denham is headed to the November election in a California farm-belt district pursued by Democrats.

Early returns showed Denham comfortably ahead of a large field of rivals in the 10th District.

Democrat Josh Harder and Republican Ted Howze were fighting for the second spot in the November race.

Democrats hold a slight registration edge in the district that runs through San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. But Denham, who is known for his involvement in water issues vital to agriculture, has proven tough to beat.

He won a narrow victory in 2016, even as the district was carried by Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest.

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10:25 p.m.

Prominent party leaders are coasting ahead to runoffs for their congressional seats in California’s primary.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who has gained national attention as an ardent Trump supporter eager to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, advanced Tuesday to November in the race for his 22nd District seat. Democrat Andrew Janz looks likely to be his competitor.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, each advanced easily to the November ballot and are expected to breeze to re-election. Either could be the next House speaker.

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8:50 p.m.

Republican Rep. Mimi Walters has advanced to the November election in her Orange County, California, district that has been targeted by Democrats.

The second spot for November remained up for grabs Tuesday in a primary race featuring several Democrats, including lawyers Dave Min and Katie Porter.

Walters carried the 45th District seat two years ago by a 17-point margin, even as Hillary Clinton carried the district by 5 points in the presidential race that year.

Democrats hope to seize the seat, though Republicans hold a comfortable registration edge.

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8:30 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has won first place in the California primary, easily moving to the general election as she seeks a fifth full term.

Feinstein’s opponent hasn’t yet been determined

California runs a primary system where the two highest vote getters move on, regardless of party. That means Feinstein could face a fellow Democrat in November.

The 84-year-old Feinstein was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving as San Francisco mayor and running unsuccessfully for governor.

She is the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

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7 a.m.

Democratic hopes to retake control of the House will rise or fall in California, where the party is pursuing a string of Republican-held seats in Tuesday’s primary election.

Democrats need to gain 23 districts nationally to take the gavel in the House, and a key part of that strategy is expanding their 39-14 advantage in House seats in California.

The key battlegrounds are seven districts where Hillary Clinton defeated President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race.

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