LOS ANGELES (JTA) — State Sen. Ted Lieu, a Democrat, will succeed longtime Rep. Henry Waxman in California’s 33rd Congressional District after defeating Jewish Republican Elan Carr.
Lieu won the seat in the seventh most Jewishly populated district in the country, 58 to 42 percent. He was bolstered by the endorsement of the esteemed Waxman, a liberal Democrat who represented the West Side of Los Angeles in Congress for 40 years.
Carr, a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, touted his close ties to Israel and garnered the support of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a major donor to Republican candidates, but could not overcome the district’s strongly Democratic leaning.
The race was largely cordial, with both candidates pitching themselves as moderates and strong supporters of Israel. In the final week, however, a pro-Carr Super PAC sent out mailers attempting to tie Lieu to Hamas.
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