6 Key 2018 Midterm House Races to Watch

By Samuel Smith, Deputy Managing Editor Sunday, November 04, 2018

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, speaks at the Capitol Hill Rally for North Korea Freedom and Human Rights in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. | (Photo: The Christian Post)

4. California's 39th

With Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, retiring after 25 years in Congress, the race to replace him is between two minority candidates in Democrat philanthropist Gil Cisneros and Republican Young Kim.

Born in Incheon, South Korea, Kim is the first Korean-American to serve in the California State Assembly. As a small business owner, her career in public service began when she worked for Royce as his director of community operations over 25 years ago.

Meanwhile, Cisneros is one of eight Latino candidates running in the more than 100 House races that Democrats have targeted for the 2018 midterms, NBC News reports.

Although the district is traditionally conservative, polling results indicate that Cisneros might have the slightest of advantages. Ballotpedia's average of polls that have surveyed this race gives Cisneros a 2-point advantage.

Both the Cook Political Report and Real Clear Politics have the race listed as a toss-up.

Cisneros was a Republican until 2008 and now Republicans are accusing him of supporting "far-left policies that would give the government control of our healthcare and cause a $32 trillion tax hike."

After being elected to the state assembly, Kim supported pro-life efforts. She has earned the endorsement of the leading national pro-life lobbying organization Susan B. Anthony List. Cisneros is endorsed by Planned Parenthood.