Democrat Janice Hahn wins House race in California

USA TODAY

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By Reed Saxon, AP

Democrat Janice Hahn easily won a congressional seat in the Los Angeles-area beach cities, fending off a challenge from Republican Craig Huey in a sometimes bitter campaign.

Hahn, a Los Angeles City Councilwoman and member of a political dynasty, earned about 55% of the vote to Huey's 45% when all ballots were counted late Tuesday.

She succeeds Democrat Jane Harman, who resigned to run a Washington think tank, in California's 36th District.

For a special election whose outcome would have little impact on the partisan balance in the U.S. House, the run-off race between Hahn and Huey at times turned nasty.

A conservative super PAC ran an ad depicting Hahn as a stripper that also used racist imagery and language. Hahn called Huey, a businessman who publishes Christian voter guides, "extreme" for his views on issues such as abortion. Huey tried to portray Hahn as a career politician, and tapped Tea Party support in the campaign.

After the vote, Hahn vowed to press for more jobs and aid for veterans. "When they come home, we have to do a better job making sure they get their health benefits. They deserve that and we owe it to them," she's quoted as saying in The Daily Breeze.

The district, which runs along the southern California coast from Venice to San Pedro, also includes inland South Bay communities such as Torrance near the Los Angeles airport.