BLUE TO RED

Republican Mike Garcia Wins Race to Fill Democrat Katie Hill’s House Seat

It’s the first time a Republican has managed to flip a blue California congressional district since 1998.

Republican Mike Garcia has won the special election for a Democratic-held House seat in the Los Angeles suburbs, delivering a win to the GOP. Garcia beat Democratic candidate Christy Smith in the race to fill the remainder of Rep. Katie Hill's first term, becoming the first Republican to flip a California congressional district since 1998. Though thousands of mail-in ballots remained uncounted Wednesday afternoon, Smith conceded on Facebook: “While it’s critical that we ensure every vote is counted and recorded, we believe that the current tally shows Mike Garcia is the likely victor in the May 12 special election.” Results from the 25th District showed Garcia ahead of Smith by 12 percentage points, with 76 percent of precincts reporting.

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday, “Big Congressional win in California for Mike Garcia, taking back a seat from the Democrats. This is the first time in many years that a California Dem seat has flipped back to a Republican.” Hill resigned in October 2019 after private photos of her were leaked and she was accused of having an affair with a congressional staffer—an allegation she denies.