The new maps dramatically reshape Orange County’s congressional district lines and impact elected officials on both sides of the aisle.
California voters overwhelmingly stamped approval this week on a sweeping redistricting effort pushed by Democrats that could endanger up to five elected Republicans and give Democrats more Congressional seats ahead of the 2026 elections.
Statewide, nearly 64% of voters voted in favor of Proposition 50 in a special election that saw turnout hit 35%. Voters in Orange County voted in favor of the ballot proposition as well, though by a smaller ten point margin.
The new maps dramatically reshape Orange County’s congressional district lines and impact elected officials on both sides of the aisle.
“Tonight’s statewide results change the playing field for 2026, but they do not change our focus,” the Orange County GOP said in a statement on election night. “We will win locally, we will retain Congressional District 40, we will vigorously contest the seats Democrats think are safe, and we will work on building our coalition.”
One of the biggest shakeups hits the 47th Congressional District, now represented by Rep. Dave Min (D). The old district included Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine. Under Prop. 50, the new 47th pulls Irvine and Laguna Beach into a district with Tustin, Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, and Dana Point, creating a seat that leans more Democratic. Kamala Harris won the old district by four points; she would have won this new version by ten.
New ratings released by the Cook Political Report after the passage of Prop. 50 labeled Min’s 47th District as “Likely Democrat” with the new changes.
The other half of today’s 47th District—Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, and part of Newport Beach—gets moved into the 42nd District, which also includes southern Long Beach and Signal Hill. The 42nd, represented by Rep. Robert Garcia (D), remains heavily Democratic, though not as strongly as before.
Garcia announced that he plans to run for re-election in the newly-drawn 42nd District.
Further inland, the 40th District held by Rep. Young Kim (R) becomes even more Republican under the new boundaries. But the new map also creates a major GOP primary fight: Kim and Republican Rep. Ken Calvert now both live in, and plan to run for, the new 40th. More than half of the district’s new territory comes from Calvert’s old seat.
Meanwhile, the 45th District, currently represented by Rep. Derek Tran (D), remains relatively unchanged. The Cook Political Report has kept the race as “Leans Democrat.”
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