Republican Mike Garcia beat Democrat Christy Smith in Tuesday’s special election for a vacant congressional seat in a swing district in the Los Angeles residential areas.
Garcia, a defense industry executive, and Smith, a state assembly member, were competing to change previous Rep. Katie Hill, a Democrat who resigned last year amidst a scandal. Garcia will complete the rest of Hill’s term and will deal with Smith once again in November in a basic election for the term that begins in January2021
Although votes are still being counted, Smith conceded on Wednesday.
” While it’s vital that we ensure every vote is counted and taped, we believe that the current tally reveals Mike Garcia is the most likely victor in the May 12 th unique election,” Smith stated in a declaration. “As such, I want to congratulate him.”
Before her resignation, Hill was a progressive hero in California’s 25 th District. In spite of running in a district long held by conservative men, she centered her 2018 project around progressive issues, consisting of Medicare for All.
But less than a year into her term, a conservative news website released naked pictures of Hill without her approval and exposed her affair with a project assistant. The primary authors of the posts were previous campaign advisors to Steven Knight, the Republican incumbent Hill beat in2018
After stepping dow