After being written off over two weeks ago, Democrat TJ Cox’s Congressional campaign is alive and kicking. On Thanksgiving Day eve, the Filipino and Chinese American has narrowed the gap between him and incumbent Rep. David Valadao to only 447 votes.
About 15,200 votes remain to be counted in Congressional District 21 in California. With the holiday upon us, the next Fresno County update will be Monday.
BREAKING: We are now within 0.5% of winning!
We gained 522 votes with the last update and the margin is now down to 447. There are still thousands more votes to be counted.
We are watching the results closely and working hard to make sure that every voter can be heard.#CA21
— TJ Cox (@TJCoxCongress) November 21, 2018
fivethirtyeight.com, the political nonpartisan website of ABC and pundit Nate Silver, which on Nov. 6 gave long odds on a Cox victory now rates the contest as a toss-up.
In California, it’s not unusual for close races to still be uncalled even several days after the election. That’s because most people in California vote by mail, and mail ballots only have to be postmarked by Election Day; they can arrive at elections offices as late as three days later and still be counted. For that reason, we think the California 21st District is far from over, even though the Associated Press and ABC have both already projected a Republican win there. GOP Rep. David Valadao has less than a 1-point lead, but the votes that have been released in recent days have favored Democrat T.J. Cox, and the counties that have yet to report the most votes appear to lean Democratic as well.
Cox, an engineer who has helped build dams and water conveyance systems, vows to work on helping solve the agricultural district’s access to water.
As a district that depends on immigrant workers in its fields and orchards, his campaign literature states:
“There is no congressional district in America that has suffered more from the senseless immigration policy of Trump’s Administration than California’s 21st. In Congress, he will fight to ensure hardworking families don’t have to live in fear of being torn apart and are valued for their contributions to our economy and communities. For our local businesses and region to thrive, we need an immigration system that actually works. T.J. will work tirelessly for common-sense immigration reforms that include a path to citizenship and protections for DACA recipients. T.J. doesn’t see the diversity of our nation as a problem—but as our promise.”
A Cox victory would be another win for the Democrats in a Republican stronghold.
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