UC Berkeley alumnus and California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi captured the U.S. House of Representatives 10th Congressional District in a special election held Tuesday.

The left-leaning Bay Area district-located northeast of Berkeley-elected Garamendi with 53 percent of the vote. He will succeed Democrat Ellen Tauscher who resigned in June to take a post in the U.S. State Department.

Despite guarded optimism from GOP insiders and an endorsement from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Republican challenger David Harmer garnered only 43 percent of the electorate.

"Harmer had hoped for a closer race, and some Republican consultants thought that a victory margin of less than 5 percent would portend great things for the Republicans in 2010," said Bruce Cain, a UC Berkeley political science professor, in an e-mail. "What they got basically confirms that this seat is unwinnable for the Republicans unless it is drastically reconfigured in the 2011 redistricting."

Cain added that Garamendi is "an old-style liberal" who will stick to the party line set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, including efforts to reform the national health care system.

"I will hit the ground running in Congress and look forward to casting a vote for comprehensive health care reform that includes the public option," Garamendi said in a statement to

supporters after his victory Tuesday.

Garamendi, 64, graduated from UC Berkeley in 1966 with a degree in business and was a second team all-American football player as an offensive guard.

As lieutenant governor, Garamendi serves as an ex-officio member of the UC Board of Regents where he has opposed student fee increases and pushed for the implementation of a state oil-extraction tax as a means to fund higher education.

According to spokesperson Beth Willon, Garamendi will resign his state posts this week after he is sworn in.

But during the recent campaign, he said he will continue efforts to support public education while in Congress.

"The success of our education system is and always will be a top priority for me," Garamendi said on his campaign Web site. "Stable education funding is of critical importance."

Garamendi could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to nominate a new lieutenant governor who will serve out the remaining 14 months of Garamendi's term.

The nomination could set the stage for a political showdown in Sacramento, as the Democrat-controlled state legislature must approve the selection by a simple majority vote.

"It could be a fight if (Schwarzenegger) puts someone in who is planning to run for the seat in 2010," Cain said. "If he chooses a caretaker, someone who pledges not to run, then he will be free to choose whom he likes."

Tags: JOHN GARAMENDI, U.S. CONGRESS