U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter is projected to retain his seat in the 50th Congressional District in eastern San Diego County, despite his recent indictment on federal criminal charges, NBC News projects.
Hunter was favored against his opponent, a first-time candidate in the largely GOP district.
Though numbers had not been finalized by the California Registrar of Voters, the Republican representative claimed victory in the district Wednesday morning, comparing the wants of San Diego voters to be consistent with President Donald Trump's.
"This election reflects what is important to us here in San Diego and Riverside Counties, issues on which President Trump has had success, but understanding that there is undoubtedly more work to be done," Hunter's statement read.
The race was one of several contested congressional districts in California that could cause a shift in the balance of power.
Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, 29, worked in the Obama administration. He is Latino and Arab-American who was born in San Diego and raised by his mother.
Campa-Najjar told supporters after the polls closed that he still has faith he can pull ahead of his Republican opponent, with about a two-thirds of the vote left to be counted.
By Wednesday afternoon, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters reported 54 percent of the vote was going towards Hunter.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Hunter's campaign ran an ad saying Campa-Najjar changed his name to "hide his family's ties to terrorism" and now wants to "infiltrate" Congress.
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There are currently 139,636 registered Republicans in the 50th district according to the Registrar of Voters. That is much higher than the 94,699 registered Democrats.
Hunter, 41, is one of two indicted Republican congressmen that sought re-election. The other is New York Rep. Chris Collins, accused of insider trading.
He and his wife, who served as his campaign chair, are accused of misusing more than $250,000 in campaign funds, including more than $400 on tequila shots at a bachelor party, $250 on airfare for a pet rabbit and $14,000 for an Italian vacation. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges.
