Democrat Janice Hahn has won the hotly contested special election race in California's 36th district on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Craig Huey, the Associated Press is reporting.

From the AP: "An unofficial tally of ballots in the 36th Congressional District special election showed Hahn had 41,585 votes, or about 55 percent, to Huey's 34,636, or about 45 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting."

Hahn, who finished first in the May 17 open primary, was expected to beat her Tea Party-backed opponent in the heavily Democratic district, which stretches along the coast from San Pedro to Venice.

Former Rep. Jane Harman, a Democrat, resigned the seat earlier this year to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.