Republican and former Navy fighter pilot Mike Garcia has won Tuesday night’s special election runoff for California’s 25th Congressional seat.

https://www.facebook.com/khtsradio/videos/280947086269485/

Garcia is now set to serve for the remainder of former Congresswoman Katie Hill’s term until January 2021.

After coming in second place in the “jungle primary” back in March, Garcia went on to win Tuesday night’s runoff election, defeating Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, with over 12 percent more of the vote.

“After seeing more results last night, it is clear that our message of lower taxes and ensuring we don’t take liberal Sacramento dysfunction to Washington prevailed,” Garcia said in a statement Wednesday.  “I’m ready to go to work right away for the citizens of the 25th Congressional District.”

See Related: 25th Congressional District Special Election: Live Updates

Smith issued a statement early Wednesday afternoon to concede.

“While it’s critical that we ensure every vote is counted and recorded, we believe that the current tally shows Mike Garcia is the likely victor in the May 12 special election,” Smith said. “As such, I’d like to congratulate him. That said, this is only one step in this process, and I look forward to having a vigorous debate about the issues in the upcoming November 2020 election.”

As of 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, officials with both Los Angeles County and Ventura County had posted the following results:

Mike Garcia – R – 80,337 votes – 56.05 percent

Christy Smith – D – 62,998 votes – 43.95 percent

Garcia’s victory represents the first time that a Congressional seat from California flipped from Democrat to Republican control since 1998.

“For too long, the people of our district have not had representation, and it’s time their voice is heard in Washington,” Garcia said. “These are difficult times, and too much is at stake – our small businesses, our workers and our families need all the help they can get.”

Both candidates are set to face off again in November during the general election for the next term from 2021-2023.

Garcia went on KHTS for one of his very first interviews after Tuesday night’s election as part of the Eye on the Valley Radio Show. To watch the full interview, check out the video above, or click here.

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