California voters are sending an outspoken critic of President Bush to Congress

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Assemblywoman Laura Richardson took 67 percent of the vote in Tuesday's special election in the heavily Democratic 37th Congressional District, which includes Long Beach, Carson and Compton.

Republican John Kanaley, a police officer and Iraq war veteran, was second with 25 percent of the vote, followed by Green Party member Daniel Brezenoff and Libertarian Herb Peters, according to unofficial returns.

Turnout was only 8.6 percent, according to election officials. With all precincts reporting, Richardson, a Democrat, had 14,105 votes to Kanaley's 5,309.

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