What to know about California’s midterm elections

As voters across the United States head to the polls for the midterm elections – widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term in office – the state of California is set to play an important role. Several races across the country’s most populous state could help determine whether the Democratic Party takes control of the US House of Representatives, where Trump’s Republican Party currently holds a slim majority. California’s ballot initiatives – or policy decisions made by voters – have also received national attention. The House is divided into 435 districts, each represented by one member of Congress elected by their constituents. There are several closely watched state races in the Democratic Party’s effort to secure a majority in the House, the lower chamber of the US Congress. Valadao has portrayed himself as a moderate, while Villegas has hammered him over issues such as the rising cost of living, healthcare and Trump’s immigration crackdowns – a key issue for the area’s immigrant farm-working communities. California’s 48th district, a traditionally Republican stronghold which includes parts of San Diego County near the border with Mexico, is also considered highly competitive after its boundaries were redrawn. While California’s redistricting aimed to make historically reliable Republican districts more competitive for Democrats, the process has also had some unexpected impacts: Two Republican members of Congress, Representatives Ken Calvert and Young Kim, have found themselves locked in a bitter race against each other after redrawn maps put them in the same district. California voters will also weigh in on a handful of policy questions, including a tax on billionaires and whether the state should adopt mandatory voter ID. Other progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Ro Khanna, a wealthy member of Congress from California’s Silicon Valley, support the referendum.