Georgette Gómez has conceded the race in the 53rd Congressional District to Sara Jacobs, according to a tweet sent on Election Night.
According to early results, Jacobs took a commanding 18% lead and the gap didn't budge as the Registrar of Voters updated results throughout the night.
The first results were published just after polls closed at 8 p.m., and by 9:40 p.m., Gómez said via a tweet that the race had gone Jacobs' way.
Jacobs took a virtual podium at around 10 p.m. and confirmed the concession.
"I spoke with Georgette and congratulated her on a race well run," Jacobs said.
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"Throughout the campaign, she elevated the issues of climate change and environmental justice, and I know the race was better for it. I promise to champion protecting our climate in Congress, and I hope Georgette and I can work together to move this district forward," Jacobs added.
The 53rd Congressional District is a mostly Democratic district that covers La Mesa, Lemon Grove, parts of El Cajon, Chula Vista and central San Diego neighborhoods like Hillcrest and North Park.
Jacobs won the primary with 29% of the vote while Gómez took runner-up with 20%.
Jacobs is a policy advisor who also worked for the Obama administration. It's hard to mention her without noting that she's also the granddaughter of Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs. She says her top priorities are gun control, affordable housing and climate change. Like Gómez, she believes the next congress will have a tough road ahead in passing stimulus bills to help people struggling during the pandemic.
"We're feeling really good," Jacobs told NBC 7 before the first round of election results were counted. "I've been on the phone with voters all day and I can tell you there is a lot of energy and excitement, and voters are really excited to send a new generation of leaders to Congress."
That new generation of leaders, according to Jacobs, will have a lot on their plate but will benefit from looking at old problems through a new lens.
"The next Congress, I think, is going to be dealing with how we get out of the current economic and public health crisis, and my priorities within that is making sure that assistance actually gets to those who need it most -- our families and our small businesses. So, I'm really proud to be endorsed by the East County Chamber of Commerce and I've worked with small business owners across the district to come up with a plan on how we can better support them. And for families, I think one of the most important things we need to do is push to make sure that there is funding for child care in any stimulus package," she said.
Jacobs and Gómez separated themselves from 10 other candidates in the Primary Election, and were going toe-to-toe to fill the seat left vacant by Rep. Susan Davis, the longest-running member of San Diego's congressional delegation.
Rep. Davis left the seat vacant after her retirement and did not endorse any candidate.
Gómez was hoping to become possibly the first Latina LGBTQ representative to serve the House.
"I feel very, very proud and very proud to have built a very strong campaign, a very strong grassroots campaign. I'm a firm believer that elections are never the destination, it's just a doorway to be able to move forward the issues that you're trying to bring forward," Gómez told NBC 7 following her concession.
