Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi will soon trade his state title for that of congressman after an expected victory Tuesday in the face of a surprisingly tough GOP challenger.  

The longest-tenured mayor in the state and second-most senior in the country was heading toward easy re-election to his 15th term. David Smith, 63, who had no formal opposition on Tuesday's ballot, was elected to the City Council in 1976 and tapped as mayor two years later.  

n Lim, Ross lead vote getters; mayor wins third available seat  

Democrat John Garamendi beat GOP David Harmer by 10 points in the 10th congressional district special election but the margin of victory falls well short of the Democratic Party registration advantage.  

WASHINGTON—Democrats just don't get the election message from voters and are pushing a liberal, big government agenda at their party's peril, Republican officials said Sunday as they predicted a political price after the majority's victory on health care.   Full Story

Tuesday's ballot is short, making for an election day that would be easy to overlook. We urge you not to make that mistake. The races and issues that remain are important.

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The five candidates for the 10th Congressional District seat entered the final week of campaigning Monday night participating in a cordial debate with few surprises.

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