Two California house races were still without a winner on Wednesday, Nov. 11, eight days after the election, according to the Associated Press. One is the Republican-held 23rd District, the only contest left in the state that can change the partisan math in the House; the other is a Democrat-versus-Democrat race in the 4th District.
Where it stands: The AP’s tally published Nov. 11 gives Democrats 255 House seats nationally, with the remaining calls still to come. In California, counties must certify their results by Dec. 3 and the state certifies on Dec. 11, the AP reported.
For the full list of races the AP has already called, see our California midterm results tracker. This page is about what is left: the two open seats, the Republican-on-Republican result in the 40th District, and the calendar between now and certification.
The two California House races still open
The AP put it plainly in its Nov. 11 roundup: only the 23rd District still matters for the balance of power, and the other uncalled seat will go to a Democrat no matter what.
The most recent published margins for these races come from the count as of Monday, Nov. 9, as reported by The Hill.
| District | Candidates | Reported margin (Nov. 9 count) |
|---|---|---|
| CA-23 | Jay Obernolte (R, incumbent) vs. Tessa Lynn Hodge (D) | Obernolte ahead by 5,434 votes, more than 95 percent counted |
| CA-4 | Mike Thompson (D, incumbent) vs. Eric Jones (D) | Jones ahead by 7,699 votes, only 50 percent counted |
| CA-40 | Young Kim (R) vs. Ken Calvert (R), both incumbents | Calvert ahead by 13,241 votes, 64 percent counted |
Different news organizations call races at different times. Decision Desk HQ, a private election-results service, has already called the 23rd District for Obernolte, according to 270toWin, which tracks its calls. The AP had not done so as of its Nov. 11 story.
CA-23: the one seat that can still move the House
Obernolte is seeking a fourth term. Trump carried it by more than 19 points two years ago, The Hill notes, and Decision Desk HQ’s pre-election forecast called it safe for the GOP, which makes a margin of a few thousand votes with most ballots counted notable in itself.
Its outcome also decides how small the state’s Republican delegation gets. If Obernolte holds on, 270toWin says he will be one of only four Republicans among California’s 52 House members in 2027. Our guide to the Prop 50 districts explains how the new map produced that result, and our companion piece looks at what California Democrats will hold in the new House majority.
CA-4: a generational fight that stays Democratic
California’s top-two primary sends the two leading vote-getters to November regardless of party, so the Sacramento-area 4th District ended up with two Democrats on the ballot. Thompson, 75, has held the seat for decades. Jones, 36, ran on the argument that the party needs younger leadership, The Hill reported.
On Nov. 9, Jones led by 7,699 votes, but only about half the expected vote had been counted, so that lead could still grow or shrink considerably. 270toWin describes the race simply: Democrats keep the seat, and the open question is whether Thompson keeps his job.
Nearby, another veteran Sacramento-area Democrat is projected to survive a similar challenge. CNN’s Decision Desk projected on Nov. 10 that Rep. Doris Matsui, 82, would win reelection in the 7th District over Sacramento City Council member Mai Vang, whom CNN described as younger and more progressive.
CA-40: Kim vs. Calvert, a result forced by the new map
The 40th was an unusual race in which two sitting members of Congress from the same party ran against each other. They ended up in one district because Democrats essentially erased Calvert’s old 41st District when they redrew the map in 2025, according to The Hill.
Calvert led Kim by 13,241 votes in the Nov. 9 count. Decision Desk HQ has since called the race for Calvert, per 270toWin, and the AP’s Nov. 11 list of uncalled California races no longer included it. Either way the seat was going to stay Republican; 270toWin noted that the only question was which incumbent would lose a job.
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California’s certification calendar
Election night totals are never final in California. Under the state Elections Code, counties must finish what the Secretary of State calls the official canvass by the 30th day after the election. Here are the key dates as the Secretary of State’s office lists them.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Nov. 3 | Election Day; mail ballots must be postmarked by this date |
| Nov. 10 | Last day for postmarked mail ballots to reach county offices |
| Dec. 3 | Counties must complete final official results |
| Dec. 11 | Secretary of State certifies statewide results |
The canvass is more than adding up late envelopes. The Secretary of State’s description lists processing every valid mail and provisional ballot left over from election night, reconciling the number of voter signatures with the number of ballots, and hand-counting the ballots from a randomly chosen one percent of precincts. The code requires counties to start no later than the Thursday after the election and to keep at it daily, apart from weekends and holidays, for at least six hours a day until it is done. We explain the reasons for the long wait in more depth in why California counts slowly.
How to follow the count yourself
The Secretary of State’s election page points readers to its statewide results site, electionresults.sos.ca.gov, for up-to-date totals. The numbers behind those totals come from county elections offices, which post new batches on their own schedules, so a race can sit still for a day and then jump. In a district that crosses county lines, the margin can move whenever any one of those counties reports. Voters who want to confirm their own mail ballot was counted can use the state’s Where’s My Ballot? tracking service, which is listed on the same page.
A few practical points for reading the updates:
- Percent counted matters more than the margin. A 7,699-vote lead at 50 percent counted, as in CA-4, is far less settled than a 5,434-vote lead with more than 95 percent in, as in CA-23.
- Calls are not certification. When the AP or another outlet calls a race, it is a projection. The legal result is what the state certifies on Dec. 11.
- Different callers, different timing. Decision Desk HQ, CNN and the AP each call races on their own standards, which is why one outlet can list a seat as decided while another still shows it open.
As of the AP’s Nov. 11 story, Obernolte’s 23rd District was the last California seat whose result could still add to or subtract from the national Democratic total of 255.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which California House races are still uncalled?
As of the Associated Press tally published November 11, two: the 23rd District, where Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte led Democrat Tessa Lynn Hodge, and the 4th District, where two Democrats, Rep. Mike Thompson and Eric Jones, are competing. Only the 23rd can change the partisan balance of the House.
When will California certify the 2026 election results?
Counties have until December 3, 2026, to finish their final official results, according to the Secretary of State, and the state certifies statewide results on December 11, 2026. The AP reports the same two dates.
Who won the Young Kim vs. Ken Calvert race?
Decision Desk HQ has called the 40th District for Ken Calvert, according to 270toWin, and the AP no longer listed it among California races still uncalled on November 11. Both are Republican incumbents, so the seat stays Republican.
Why is California still counting votes a week after the election?
Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day still count if they arrived by November 10, 2026. Counties then work through the official canvass, which includes processing remaining mail and provisional ballots, reconciling ballot counts and a hand count of a random sample of precincts, and they have until the 30th day after the election to finish.
Can the CA-4 race between two Democrats change control of the House?
No. Because both candidates are Democrats under the top-two primary system, the seat stays Democratic whoever wins. Only the person holding it is in question.
Sources
- General Election – November 3, 2026 — California Secretary of State, accessed November 12, 2026
- The Official Canvass of the Vote — California Secretary of State, accessed November 12, 2026
- More than a dozen key races remain too early to call one week after Election Day — Associated Press via PBS News, November 11, 2026
- The 16 House races still hanging in the balance — The Hill, November 10, 2026
- One Week Later: Uncalled Races from the 2026 Midterm Election — 270toWin, November 10, 2026
- The Morning After: Uncalled House Races — 270toWin, November 4, 2026 (race statuses updated after publication)
- House GOP blocks effort to hold Hegseth impeachment vote: Live updates — CNN, November 10, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; California News Now is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.