Harley Rouda, Democratic House candidate in California's 48th Congressional District, addresses supporters on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Newport Beach, Calif. | Kyusung Gong/AP Photo Elections Rouda defeats Rohrabacher in Southern California 
 
 Democrat Harley Rouda on Saturday claimed victory in the race for California’s 48th Congressional District, unseating 15-term incumbent Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in one of the most anticipated House contests of the 2018 election cycle. 
 
 Rouda’s victory is sure to energize Democrats, who've galvanized to flip several House seats in the traditionally heavily Republican enclave of Orange County in Southern California since 2016. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 His win adds further padding to Democrats’ majority in the chamber after the party picked up 30 seats on Election Day, and it brings to a close the nearly three-decade tenure of the pro-Russia representative often referred to by critics as “Putin’s favorite congressman.” 
 
 Though ballots are still being counted, Saturday’s tally showed Rouda with 52 percent of the vote and about 8,500 more votes than Rohrabacher, according to the Associated Press. 
 
 COUNTDOWN TO 2020 The race for 2020 starts now. Stay in the know. Follow our presidential election coverage. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. 
 
 Rouda declared the race finished on Twitter early Saturday. 
 
 “After careful consideration of the data provided by the fantastic team at the Orange County Registrar, my staff and I are now confident that we have won the Congressional race in California's 48th district,” he wrote online. 
 
 “Going forward, my mission is to be the absolute best kind of public servant - honest, transparent, accessible and tireless in serving the greater good,” Rouda added. ||||| Voters in Orange County, Calif. ousted Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher after nearly 30 years in Congress, making him the most senior House member to lose a seat in this year’s election. 
 
 Changing demographics in the district, dissatisfaction with President Trump and a backlash against Mr. Rohrabacher’s advocacy for Russia all contributed to his defeat. 
 
 The... ||||| Harley Rouda, Democratic congressional candidate in the 48th district, addresses his supporters at his election night party Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Newport Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) (Associated Press) 
 
 Harley Rouda, Democratic congressional candidate in the 48th district, addresses his supporters at his election night party Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Newport Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) (Associated Press) 
 
 HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a one-time speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan who later became Russia's leading defender on Capitol Hill and an outspoken advocate for legalized marijuana, was defeated Saturday, a victim of California's Democratic tilt and voters' distaste for President Donald Trump. 
 
 Rohrabacher, 71, was beaten by real estate executive Harley Rouda, 56, a Republican-turned-Democrat who pilloried the congressman for his skepticism over climate change and depicted him as an out-of-touch abettor in Washington gridlock. 
 
 With votes continuing to be counted, Rouda's edge grew steadily. The vote count updated Saturday showed Rouda with 52 percent of the vote and about 8,500 more votes than Rohrabacher. 
 
 Rohrabacher's ouster from his seat in Orange County has historical and symbolic significance. The county southeast of Los Angeles was home to President Richard Nixon and long considered a foundational block in the modern conservative movement. Reagan himself likened it to a Republican heaven. 
 
 Orange County was once a Republican lock on Election Day, said Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University. 
 
 "Their lock is over," he said. 
 
 With Rouda's win, Democrats have picked off two GOP seats either all or partly in the county since Tuesday's election, and are threatening in two others. Democrat Mike Levin this week captured the seat long held by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, which cuts through the southern end of the county. Democrats have also seized a GOP-held seat north of Los Angeles. 
 
 Rouda credited his victory to support from "voters across the political spectrum." In a statement, he said he intends to be "honest, transparent, accessible and tireless" in Washington. 
 
 Rohrabacher's campaign said in a statement that tens of thousands of ballots remain uncounted, and the campaign will have a statement once the vote count is complete. 
 
 Democrats had targeted seven GOP-held House districts in California this year that were carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, including Rohrabacher's 48th. They've now won three of those seats, with the potential to pick up three more and pad their new majority in the House. 
 
 Democrat Katie Porter is inching closer to Republican U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange County's 45th District. In the nearby 39th District held by retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce his protege, Republican Young Kim, sees her lead over Democrat Gil Cisneros tightening. 
 
 In central California's farm belt, Democrat Josh Harder grabbed a nearly 2-point lead after a vote count update Friday after trailing Rep. Jeff Denham in the 10th District. 
 
 For state Republicans, Rohrabacher's defeat represents another stinging blow for a party that has seen its fortunes wither for years. Democrats hold every statewide office, both chambers of the Legislature and a 3.7 million advantage in voter registrations. With Rouda's win, Democrats will hold at least a 42-11 edge in California U.S. House seats. 
 
 Meanwhile, Republicans have tumbled to third-party status in the state: they are even outnumbered by registered independents. 
 
 Behind the shift: A surge in immigrants in recent decades transformed the state and its voting patterns. In Orange County, largely white, conservative homeowners once delivered winning margins for GOP candidates year after year. But most of the state's new voters, Hispanics and Asians, are Democrats or independents. 
 
 It's also hard to discount the influence of Trump, who lost California by over 4 million votes in 2016. California is home to the so-called Trump "resistance," which has stood in opposition to his policies on the environment and immigration. 
 
 Rohrabacher reflects the dramatic shift of fortunes in Orange County: He was re-elected by nearly 17 points just two years but met his end when Democrats backed a wealthy, pro-business moderate in Rouda. 
 
 Rohrabacher has long been an unusual figure on Capitol Hill. 
 
 The one-time Cold Warrior transformed into an outspoken supporter of improved ties with Russia, and his name has come up in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election; he has denied any wrongdoing. 
 
 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was heard on tape in 2016 saying Rohrabacher was being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin. McCarthy's office said the comments at a private meeting, disclosed by the Washington Post, were misconstrued and McCarthy was joking with colleagues. 
 
 In the campaign, Rohrabacher was faced with the prospect of making his Reagan-era conservative views appealing to newer voters, while holding college-educated Republican women who polls suggest are turned off by Trump. 
 
 His departure from Congress will mark a milestone of sorts. He's one of the last members of Congress who served in the Reagan administration. 
 
 The guitar-strumming, surfing congressman apparently saw the danger coming. He positioned himself as a maverick willing to buck both parties. 
 
 Republican Party mailers never mentioned he was a Republican. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Michael R. Blood at http://twitter.com/MichaelRBloodAP
– A familiar name in Congress won't be returning. Republican Dana Rohrabacher has lost his seat in Orange County, California, to Democrat Harley Rouda after serving almost 30 years. The AP called the race Saturday, with Rouda at 52% and up by about 8,500 votes. The 71-year-old Rohrabacher is a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan whose pro-Russian views in recent years have earned him the derisive nickname of "Putin's favorite congressman," notes Politico. (Rohrabacher said Putin once beat him in a drunken arm-wrestling contest.) Rohrabacher also has been one of the few Republicans pushing for legal marijuana, notes the Wall Street Journal. The victory by Rouda in a once traditionally red district (it was home to Richard Nixon) will help Democrats solidify their majority in the new Congress.