Politics
US Congress; Ruobing Su/Business Insider
- Today, California voters could elect a candidate to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Katie Hill, who resigned amid a scandal that divided the nation and involved a messy divorce and revenge porn.
- Twelve candidates will face off for this rare open competitive seat, including two-term Rep. Steve Knight, who Hill beat during the 2018 midterms.
- Polls in California close at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Polls close at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time and 11 p.m. Eastern Time - follow along with results here:
California 25th district primary results:
What's at stake in the primary?
Twelve candidates will be vying for a seat vacated by former Rep. Katie Hill, a prominent figure in the progressive 2018 progressive freshman class who resigned following a messy scandal that divided the nation. Hill became embroiled in scandal after a conservative website published nude photos of her without her consent and accused her of having an affair with her legislative director.
The intimate details of her messy divorce were revealed in the ensuing controversy when the congresswoman accused her estranged husband of abuse and of working with Republican opponents on a "coordinated effort to try to destroy me and the people close to me."
Hill resigned in November 2019 amid Republican calls for her to step down. Now, two-term Republican Rep. Steve Knight, who Hill beat during the 2018 midterms and whose former campaign advisors ignited the scandal, will be running for the rare open competitive seat along with an eclectic field of candidates.
Who are the candidates?
- State assemblywoman Christy Smith, who is backed by much of the Democratic establishment (D)
- The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur, a progressive running to Smith's left (D)
- Former GOP Rep. Steve Knight, who represented the seat until last year (R)
- Former Navy pilot and Raytheon executive Mark Garcia (R)
- Robert Cooper (D)
- Getro Elize (D)
- David Rudnick (D)
- Lawyer Anibal Valdez-Ortega (D)
- Telecommunications executive Kenneth Jenks (R)
- Businesswoman Courtney Lackey (R)
- David Lozano (R)
- Daniel Mercuri (R)
The 25th congressional district was a formerly red swing district that has been trending blue. The special election is taking place at the same time as the regularly scheduled primary, meaning voters will be asked to cast ballots twice, once for the special election and another to nominate a candidate for a new term starting in January 2021 with 10 candidates running in both elections.
Ten of the eleven candidates running for the special election to finish out Hill's term are also running in the regularly-scheduled primary and general election.
Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopolous, who was convicted of lying to the FBI in connection with Russia probe, is running in the regular primary election for the seat on March 3.
The top two vote-getters in the March 3 special primary will advance to a special general election on May 12, 2020, the winner of which will serve out the rest of Hill's term through January 2021.
Catch up on live coverage from Super Tuesday:
While you wait for California results to come in, head over to our main Super Tuesday post to follow all the action.
Follow along with the results of the Democratic presidential primary in California and the results of all California congressional primaries here.