Rep. Ami Bera will represent Folsom-area residents in Congress after winning California's redrawn 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The Associated Press called the race for Bera, a Democrat, over Republican challenger Robb Tucker, according to ABC10. Early returns showed Bera leading with about 57.9% of the vote to Tucker's 42.1% as of 11:12 p.m. election night, the Sacramento Bee reported. Those numbers could shift as remaining ballots are counted.
The result matters locally because redistricting fundamentally changed who represents this area in Washington. The new 3rd District map cut out Republican strongholds like Roseville and Lincoln and now includes parts of Folsom and Rancho Cordova, the Bee reported. The district stretches from Sacramento's eastern suburbs into the Sierra foothills, covering parts of Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Nevada and Colusa counties.
The seat had been held by Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican who switched his party affiliation to independent and sought reelection in another district after Proposition 50 altered California's congressional maps, Fox40 reported.
Bera, 61, currently represents the 6th Congressional District, which is entirely in Sacramento County. He lives in Elk Grove and is a physician who was first elected to Congress in 2012. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
According to the Bee, Bera said he is focused on serving the entire district, not just the areas he has historically represented. He described the addition of rural areas as an opportunity to address issues such as rural healthcare access, wildfire response and water management.
Tucker, a Nevada County supervisor elected in 2024, made his first run for a congressional seat. He told the Bee he was running to represent rural communities that he said lost their voices as a result of Proposition 50, the redistricting measure. He pointed to wildfire, forest management and rural healthcare as issues he dealt with as a county supervisor.
Both candidates campaigned in Folsom the weekend before the election, according to ABC10's Nov. 1 coverage. The redrawn district now has a Democratic registration majority.
Bera topped the June primary with 34% of the vote, and Tucker received about 30%, according to the Bee. The AP called the general election shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.
