Election 2020: Rep. Alan Lowenthal in front in the 47th congressional district

Orange County Register (CA)

Nov. 4--Rep. Alan Lowenthal held a commanding lead over Republican John Briscoe as the men battled for the second time Tuesday over the 47th District, the House seat that straddles southern Los Angeles and northern Orange counties.

Given that incumbent Lowenthal holds advantages in name recognition, fundraising and voter registration, he was widely expected to win a fifth term heading into Election Day. Democrats have been winning the district since 2002.

But Briscoe, who beat out two Republicans and two Democrats in the March 3 primary, relishes his status as underdog. And he aimed to use Lowenthal's age and experience against him.

Lowenthal, 79, was raised in the New York City borough of Queens. He earned a Ph.D. in psychology and moved to Long Beach in 1969, where he taught community psychology at California State Long Beach until 1998. He still lives in Long Beach with his wife, a physician.

Lowenthal has been in public office since 1992, when he started a six-year stint on the Long Beach City Council. He later won three terms in the California Assembly and two terms in the State Senate. In 2012, he handily won the CA-47 House seat that was redrawn during 2011 redistricting.

In congress, he's pushed for environmental protections and equal rights, including for LGBTQ people. He supports abortion rights, legal marijuana for adults and a strong federal role in combating local homelessness.

Lowenthal's biggest electoral win came in 2018, when he beat Briscoe by nearly 30 percentage points, or more than 65,000 votes.

See the latest election results after 8 .p.m.

Briscoe, 68, is a longtime board member of the Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach, where he lives with his wife just outside the 47th District.

Briscoe holds graduate degrees in business and public administration. He held executive roles at several companies, including Kraft and Keebler. He now teaches marketing at Cal State Long Beach and is a licensed real estate broker, running a property management company with his wife. He also works in the community, including as a long-time Rotary member and as a Boy Scout leader.

Briscoe supports gay marriage but opposes policies such as abortion rights, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and legal marijuana. He's campaigning on strict border control, tackling homelessness, improving health care and investing in infrastructure.

This story will be updated as more votes are counted.

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