Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing California on Wednesday. Panetta, a Navy veteran, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016. He worked as a deputy district attorney for Monterey County prior to winning his congressional seat. He easily defeated Republican Jason Anderson in the solidly blue district that includes the south side of San Jose and coastal cities such as Santa Cruz and Monterey. The district has been a safe Democratic seat since 2012 after a redistricting process. declared Panetta the winner at 12:11 a.m. EST.