San Diego, CA.- Central to the Democrats desire to take back the house in November is a strong showing in California.

California is home to seven GOP-held seats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016.

The 49th District, which includes parts of San Diego County and Orange counties, is one of them. Voters here backed Clinton by 7 points while re-electing GOP Rep. Darrell Issa by less than 1 point. Issa is retiring and going to work in the Trump administration.

The Polling

Polling suggests the race is close between Republican Diane Harkey and Democrat Mike Levin. Some polls have Harkey by a couple points, others have Levin with a lead.

Harkey currently sits on the State Board of Equalization, which administers and oversees state tax assessments. Her term ends in January 2019.

Before serving on the board, Harkey represented Assembly District 73 from 2008 to 2014.

Levin is a Democratic environmental lawyer from Orange County. He has never held elected political office.

He has served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County in the past and received the endorsement of the San Diego Union-Tribune’s editorial board on Oct. 1.

The District

The 49th District includes northern San Diego County cities Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and a southern section of Orange County.

Harkey and Levin finished first and second in the district’s top-two June primary with 25.52 percent and 17.49 percent of the vote, respectively.

The Conversation

Diane Harkey joined us on the IVN Podcast to discuss her positions and answer why she is the better candidate for independent minded voters.