Lowenthal #1, DeLong #2, in 47th Congressional Race

 In a primary race with a record low statewide 17% turn-out, the predicted front-runners who raised the most campaign donations prevailed in the first election for the newly created U.S. 47th Congressional District, which straddles Long Beach and Orange County.

Democratic State Senator Alan Lowenthal, a termed out legislator, and Republican Long Beach City Councilman Gary DeLong, termed out of his first elected office, will battle for the votes to represent 700,000 people in the congressional district. The 47th includes almost all of Long Beach, and Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, and other West Orange County cities.

With all precincts in, and a crowded field of seven candidates, Lowenthal won 34.3%, and DeLong 29%.

Former U.S. Congressman Steven Kuykendall, who also served in the state assembly and was a lobbiest since then, could not match fellow Republican DeLong in fundraising, despite endorsements from U.S. Senator John McCain and former Governor Pete Wilson.He earned 10.9%.

College professor and Democratic challenger Peter Mathews, a Long Beach resident, placed fourth with 9.6% of the vote.

DeLong was endorsed by the state Republican Party and the Greater Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, which represents small business but also local banks and big corporations like Jet Blue, Boeing and Port of Long Beach shipping interests.

Political analysts saw DeLong as the candidate who had to spend to establish his name recognition and mostly already ran against the front-runner Lowenthal. Lowenthal, who served on the Long Beach City Council two terms and both sides of the legislature, had no dominant Democratic challenge among college professor Peter Matthews and a husband-and-wife team, the Shahs.

We will add candidate reactions as we get them so check back.

The results for each candidate for L.A. and O.C. combined can be found here.

The of Voters breakdown reflects a different breakdown as to how the candidates did in just that county.

Other propositions read here.