The March 3 ballot results for California’s 25th Congressional District show Christy Smith leading the pack of 13 candidates with about 34% of the vote in the special election to fill out the remainder of the Katie Hill term and 30% of the vote for the next full term to be voted in November. If you listen to national media you might conclude that to be the end of the story. However, a closer look reveals that the top two Republicans pulled about 48% and 49%, respectively for the two contests, while all six Republican contestants garnered 54% and 56%, respectively. These numbers indicate that we should expect to send Republican top vote-getter, Mike Garcia, to Congress both to fill out the remaining term of Katie Hill and to be the full-term representative in 2021.
While these results may be promising for Republicans, there is no room for complacency. Nancy Pelosi sees California 25 as part of her personal fiefdom, which is needed to support her power base. She is standing by with tons of cash to fund the Smith campaign. Hopefully, Republicans in the district will rise to the challenge.
John Weaver
Valencia
