In Democrat-only Senate race, Republicans become swing votes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican candidates were shut out in the race for California's open U.S. Senate seat, but GOP voters could play a key role in November in determining which of two Democratic women goes to Washington.

The matchup marks the first time since voters started electing senators a century ago that Republicans will be absent from California's general election ballot, reaffirming the GOP's diminished stature in the nation's most populous state.

Sanchez, a political moderate who has spent two decades on Capitol Hill, is tasked with finding a way to sharply increase her vote tally against a rival who grabbed about 40 percent of the vote Tuesday in a field of 34 candidates — a statement of political muscle.

Republicans are going to be probably the determinative voting bloc, if they consolidate behind one candidate," Madrid said, noting the race could hinge on "a Latina candidate actively courting Republican votes.

Under California's unusual election rules, candidates appear on a single ballot and voters can choose anyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel said Sanchez had the opportunity to make inroads with Republicans, given Harris' prominence in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.