California's 25th Congressional District special election, 2020

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Mike Garcia (R) won the May 12, 2020, special general election for California's 25th Congressional District after Christy Smith (D) conceded on May 13.[1] At the time Smith conceded, Garcia had received 56% of the vote to Smith's 44%.

Smith advanced from a field of 12 candidates in the March 3 top-two primary with 35.8% of the vote while Garcia advanced with 25.1%. The special election was called to fill the vacancy left by Katie Hill (D), who resigned her seat on November 1, 2019, amid allegations of extramarital relationships with staffers.[2] Smith and Garcia also ran in the regular election on November 3, 2020.

Smith said she would "work with both parties to make healthcare affordable, protect people with pre-existing conditions, and lower drug costs."[3] She also said she supported public health insurance for anyone who wants it.[4] Garcia campaigned on supporting the armed forces. He said he would "make it a priority to ensure our men and women in uniform have the funding and tools necessary to keep America safe."[5] Garcia also said he supported cutting taxes to grow the economy.[5]

In the 2018 general election, Hill (D) defeated then-incumbent Steve Knight (R) 54% to 46%. In 2016, Knight defeated Bryan Caforio (D) 53% to 47%. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was even, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were within one percentage point of the national average.[6]

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order providing for all-mail voting in the May 12 special election.[7] For more information on changes to election dates and procedures in response to the coronavirus, click here.

This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.

This page covers the special election. For coverage of the November 3, 2020, regularly scheduled election, click here.

There were 10 special elections called during the 116th Congress. Eight were called for seats in the U.S. House, and two for seats in the U.S. Senate. From the 113th Congress to the 115th Congress, 40 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


Garcia
Smith


Candidates and election results

General election

Special general election for U.S. House California District 25

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mike Garcia
Mike Garcia (R)
 
54.9
 
95,667
Image of Christy Smith
Christy Smith (D)
 
45.1
 
78,721

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 174,388
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 25

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christy Smith
Christy Smith (D)
 
36.2
 
58,563
✔
Image of Mike Garcia
Mike Garcia (R)
 
25.4
 
41,169
Image of Stephen Knight
Stephen Knight (R)
 
17.2
 
27,799
Image of Cenk Uygur
Cenk Uygur (D)
 
6.6
 
10,609
Image of Anibal Valdez-Ortega
Anibal Valdez-Ortega (D) Candidate Connection
 
4.6
 
7,368
Image of Courtney Lackey
Courtney Lackey (R) Candidate Connection
 
1.9
 
3,072
Image of Robert Cooper
Robert Cooper (D) Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
2,962
Image of David Lozano
David Lozano (R)
 
1.7
 
2,758
Image of Daniel Mercuri
Daniel Mercuri (R)
 
1.6
 
2,533
Image of Kenneth Jenks
Kenneth Jenks (R)
 
1.6
 
2,528
Image of Getro Elize
Getro Elize (D)
 
0.9
 
1,414
Image of David Rudnick
David Rudnick (D)
 
0.7
 
1,085

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 161,860
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Coronavirus

See also: Ballotpedia: Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020#Responses by state governments
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Responses to the coronavirus pandemic

Both Smith and Garcia held online campaign events and encouraged volunteers to participate in phonebanking and other virtual campaign activities.[8] As of May 11, Smith's campaign website contained a COVID-19 resource center which contained information on healthcare, financial support, and social distancing. Garcia's campaign website contained a coronavirus resource center which included contact information for local agencies, information on healthcare, and resources for small businesses.

Voting in the May 12 election

See also: Voting in California

This information was current as of 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on May 11, 2020.

What changes have been made to voting procedure as a result of the pandemic?

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order on March 20, 2020, mandating that all eligible voters receive a mail-in ballot without needing to request one. No changes were made to the mail-in ballot procedure, meaning that a completed ballot needed to be postmarked or deposited in a ballot return box 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, in order to be valid.[9]

Can I vote in person?

  • Yes. Selected in-person voting centers were open between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. as normal the day of the election.[10] For more details, including a list of in-person voting centers, see the Los Angeles County and Ventura County voter guides.

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[11] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.


Mike Garcia

Mike Garcia

Image of Mike Garcia

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "First-generation American citizen, Mike Garcia is a highly decorated United States Naval Officer whose record-setting flying performance earned him the honor of becoming one of the first Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy. He flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi freedom. Accruing over 1400 hours of operational flight time during his nearly 20 years of military service to our country, Garcia decided to separate from the US Navy with an Honorable Discharge to focus on his family. Garcia moved back to the 25th District in 2009 and began to work for the Raytheon Company. During his now 10 years as an executive at Raytheon, Garcia has been responsible for the generation of billions of dollars of revenue and the creation of hundreds of jobs for his company and our district. Garcia is the husband to Rebecca Garcia, the owner of the Rebecca Rollins Interiors in Santa Clarita, and the father of Preston (age 13) and Jett (age 3). "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Garcia will make it a priority to ensure our men and women in uniform have the funding and tools necessary to keep America safe, and only send them into battle when it is absolutely necessary.

Garcia supports term limits because it's time to get rid of the career politicians in both parties. Washington, DC truly is a swamp, filled with career politicians who are more concerned with their next election than making tough decisions.

Mike Garcia is a first-generation American citizen whose family came to the United States legally for more opportunity and for a shot at the American Dream. Garcia knows what's at stake, and he'll fight against Democrats' dangerous socialist agenda and restore our country's guiding principles, most importantly freedom, that he helped protect in his 20 years as a Naval Officer.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House California District 25 in 2020.

Christy Smith

Christy Smith

Image of Christy Smith

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

California State Assembly (Assumed office: 2018), Newhall School Board (2010-2018)

Biography:  Before her election to the California State Assembly in 2018, Smith founded the Valencia Valley Technological Education Foundation, worked as a legislative vice president of the Santa Clarita Valley Trustees Association, and served as a delegate to the California School Board Association.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Smith said she would "work with both parties to make healthcare affordable, protect people with pre-existing conditions, and lower drug costs." She also said she supported a public health insurance option for anyone who wanted it.

According to Smith's campaign website, "Christy believes that a great education levels the playing field and creates more opportunity for all of our young people. That's why she has dedicated her career ... to improving schools and giving every student a fair chance through a world class education."

Smith's campaign website said, "In Congress, she will work to invest more in public safety so we can continue to reduce emergency response times and improve neighborhood security."

Show sources

Sources: Christy Smith 2020 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed January 22, 2020|; Christy Smith 2020 campaign website, "Meet Christy," accessed January 22, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House California District 25 in 2020.


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Christy Smith Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Mike Garcia Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[12][13][14]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • The DCCC launched a $930,000 cable ad buy on healthcare that criticized Garcia and supported Smith.[15]
  • The NRCC spent $690,000 on cable and $330,000 on broadcast ad purchases that criticized Smith.[15]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[16]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[17][18][19]

Race ratings: California's 25th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was EVEN, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were within 1 percentage point of the national average. This made California's 25th Congressional District the 237th-most Republican nationally.[20]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[21]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


General election endorsements
Endorsement Republican Party Garcia Democratic Party Smith
Newspapers and editorials
The Los Angeles Times[22] ✔
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal[23] ✔
Elected officials
President Donald Trump[23] ✔
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren[22] ✔
Individuals
Former U.S. President Barack Obama[22] ✔
2016 Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton[22] ✔
Former Congressman Steve Knight[23] ✔

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Mike Garcia

"Call" - Garcia campaign ad, released March 31, 2020


Democratic Party Christy Smith

Supporting Smith

"Better Life" - Smith campaign ad, released September 9, 2020
"Here for Us" - Smith campaign ad, released May 7, 2020
"Here For All Of Us" - Smith campaign ad, released April 29, 2020
"Together" - Smith campaign ad, released April 25, 2020
"Remind People of Their Power" - Smith campaign ad, released April 23, 2020
"Counting On Us" - Smith campaign ad, released April 19, 2020
"America is Hurting" - Smith campaign ad, released April 8, 2020

Opposing Garcia

"Trump's Choice" - Smith campaign ad, released May 2, 2020
"Mike Garcia's Principles" - Smith campaign ad, released April 14, 2020


Satellite group ads

Opposing Smith

"Imagine" - NRCC campaign ad, released March 31, 2020

Supporting Smith

"Leader" - DCCC campaign ad, released April 4, 2020

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

The following campaign themes and policy positions were listed on the candidates' campaign websites in April 2020, if available.

Democratic Party Christy Smith

“

Improving Public Education

Christy believes that a great education levels the playing field and creates more opportunity for all of our young people. That's why she has dedicated her career, particularly as a federal education policy expert and a member of her local school board, to improving schools and giving every student a fair chance through a world class education. In Congress, she will work to invest in local public classrooms so that we can hire more teachers and reduce class sizes, and pay teachers livable middle class wages.

Christy also wants to ensure students have options after K-12, without going into a lifetime of debt. She wants to increase the affordability and availability of options like job training, apprenticeships, technical school, and more affordable public colleges and universities.

Lowering Taxes for California Families

Christy is committed to reinstating the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which would lower taxes for California families, by up to $12,000 a year. As a member of the State Assembly, Christy opposed any changes to Proposition 13, the law that caps property tax costs for California homeowners. In 2018, Christy supported a measure that mandated tax revenue from the “gas tax” must be used solely on transportation-related infrastructure projects, not on the pet projects of politicians.

Assemblywoman Christy Smith introduced AB 2379 which would create an annual tax exemption holiday for certain emergency supplies.

Throughout her time in public service, Christy has fought to lower taxes and ensure that existing tax dollars are spent on the best interest of Californians. Christy will take that same sense of fiscal responsibility to Congress.

Ending Corruption in Washington

It's clear that big money is corrupting our political system. The voices of everyday Americans continue to be crowded out by special interests and corporate Super PACs, resulting in record low levels of trust in our government. The only way to fix it is to get dark, unaccountable money out of politics.

Now more than ever, it’s critical that we hold Washington accountable and defend our democracy by fighting against the special interest money flooding into our nation’s capital. If we want a government that represents the will of the people and not special interests, we have to change the way we finance our campaigns.

That’s why Christy supports ending the disastrous Citizens United decision, and refuses to accept a dime from Big Pharma, Big Oil, the Gun Lobby, Big Tobacco, any other federal corporate PAC money, or contributions from any federal lobbyist. She’s only going to be accountable to the thousands of people across the 25th District, not corporate special interests that have corrupted our politics and hurt our communities.

Keeping Our Families and Communities Safe

Our firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement officers, as well as other emergency responders are heroes who not only work to keep us safe, but are also on the front lines of addressing America’s mental health crisis.

As Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, and the mother of two daughters, Christy has risen above party politics to deliver for California's first responders. In Congress, she will work to invest more in public safety so we can continue to reduce emergency response times and improve neighborhood security. As the climate crisis worsens, our fire danger is greater than ever and we need to equip our professionals with the tools and resources needed to respond.

Making Health Care More Affordable and Available

Health care is a human right and while the Affordable Care Act was a tremendous step in that direction, Christy believes we need to do more to reduce costs, ensure that every American has access to affordable healthcare, and protect those with pre-existing conditions. That’s why she supports a public health insurance option for anyone who wants it. Additionally, Christy believes we need to have the same consumer protections in the healthcare system as we do in any consumer market, which includes transparency when it comes to the real cost of healthcare treatments. She will work to shed light on pricing that for too long has been negotiated in the dark.

Christy also believes that Congress needs to do the work of controlling the skyrocketing cost of health care, including the rising costs of prescription drugs. It’s unacceptable that US taxpayers subsidize the research and development of lifesaving drugs, only to pay more for them than people who live in Europe, Japan, and Canada. She'll also fight to protect Medicaid and Medicare, women's reproductive health care rights, and funding for Planned Parenthood.

Advocating for Women and Families

When women thrive, our families thrive. That's why Christy has always been a tireless fighter for women and families – from our schools to our state capitol and, now, to Washington. Christy is ready to stand up for equal pay for equal work and for affordable childcare, so families have a fair shot at success. She will ensure that women receive the same access to affordable health care as men. And Christy will always fight to protect a woman's right to choose and funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers who ensure that women have affordable options for a full range of reproductive health care.

Growing the Middle Class and Small Businesses

We need to get serious about creating better-paying jobs right here in our community so more middle-class families can prosper and don’t need to spend hours away from their families to commute to downtown Los Angeles. Christy Smith has a plan to do it. She believes we must make smart investments in transportation infrastructure, education, scientific research, and renewable and clean energy industries to create sustainable jobs in our community that will also pay the mortgage. She also believes we should do more to help people start and grow small businesses right here at home and give people the career skills they need by making colleges and trade schools more affordable and accessible, all the while ensuring that workers have the right to organize and have a voice in the workplace through unions.

Taking on Corporate Polluters and the Climate Crisis

Here in the 25th District, we are all too familiar with the emerging threat of the climate crisis -- experiencing wildfires in nearly every part of the district, air and water pollution, drought, and more. For too long, federal agencies have fallen short in their stewardship, so we must fight to ensure accountability and reform. We have a lot of work to do to protect the air our children breathe and water they drink here at home, including shutting down the Aliso Canyon gas facility and ensuring aggressive oversight of our district’s two toxic waste clean-up sites, Santa Susana Field Laboratory and Whittaker Bermite, and three landfills, Sunshine Canyon, Chiquita Canyon, and Simi Valley.

We must also invest in building a fully renewable and clean energy infrastructure using wind and solar to create good mortgage-paying jobs and combat the climate crisis so we can ensure our community is a place where families can live and thrive for generations to come, before it’s too late.

Enacting Gun Safety Measures

As a mother, Christy believes that every one of us has the right to live without the fear of gun violence and protect our families. That’s why she will work to promote public safety in neighborhoods across the 25th District and America by stemming the tide of gun violence and fighting for comprehensive and mandatory universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, “red flag” laws that allow families to ask courts to take guns away from domestic abusers and others who are a danger to themselves and others.

Protecting Our Veterans and Seniors

Christy will fight tirelessly to protect America’s veterans and seniors from exploitation and abuse in Washington. As Congresswoman, Christy will ensure that her office is assisting veterans and seniors with federal agencies through competent constituent services and outreach. She will defend Social Security and Medicare from extremist attacks and work to fix the VA to ensure that our veterans get the benefits and care that they earned.

Building Housing that's Affordable for Families

All across the country, but particularly in California, the cost of living is skyrocketing, pushing working class families out of their homes and communities and displacing small businesses. We need to tackle this crisis head-on by investing in more affordable housing and developing a comprehensive national strategy to combat homelessness, including increased funding for shelters, health care and mental health services.

Ensuring Human Rights for All

In Congress, Christy will fight for equality in every aspect of our society, including equal pay for equal work, protections for women in the workplace and against domestic violence, civil rights protections for LGBTQ people, as well as ensuring non-discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation.

Common Sense Immigration Reform

Our immigration system is dangerously broken and desperately needs reforms that work for all of us. We need to take steps to increase border security to protect against criminal activity and also create a path to citizenship for law-abiding residents who live here and contribute here. America’s strength is our diversity. In Congress, Christy will be dedicated to defending immigrant communities, including DREAMers and refugees from abuse and protect their basic human rights.

Separating children from their families and putting them in cages is outrageous and un-American. Christy believes that immigration is fundamentally a humanitarian issue and should be handled with compassion delivered through a much more robust system. We need more judges on the border to process cases in a more fair and rapid manner.[24]

”
—Christy Smith's 2020 campaign website[4]


Republican Party Mike Garcia

“

National Security

Garcia knows firsthand the important role that the United States plays around the world as a force for good, but that the first priority must always be national security and protecting the homeland, to include securing and better surveillance of our borders. Mike Garcia will make it a priority to ensure our men and women in uniform have the funding and tools necessary to keep America safe, and only send them into battle when it is absolutely necessary

Term Limits

Garcia supports term limits because it’s time to get rid of the career politicians in both parties. Washington, DC truly is a swamp, filled with career politicians who are more concerned with their next election than making tough decisions. The Founding Fathers wanted citizens to step up and serve their community in office for a brief period and then make way for new representation before they lost touch with their constituency.

National Debt

The $22 trillion in debt is unsustainable and will be back breaking in the long run. Unless we do something about it, the interest payments on our debt will soon exceed the military budget and Medicaid. That poses problems for readiness and national security. Navy Admiral and Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Michael Mullen has said that “the single, biggest threat to our national security is debt.”

Socialism

Mike Garcia is a first-generation American citizen whose family came to the United States legally for more opportunity and for a shot at the American Dream. Garcia knows what’s at stake, and he’ll fight against Democrats’ dangerous socialist agenda and restore our country’s guiding principles, most importantly freedom, that he helped protect in his 20 years as a Naval Officer.

Economy and Jobs

With a proven track record as a leader of job creation and winning new business, while also advocating for and promoting minorities and women, Mike Garcia knows what it takes to be successful and contribute to the economy. Garcia knows that our economy is strong in spite of government, not because of it. Mike Garcia will go to Congress and go to bat for our community to create a climate that brings good paying jobs and economic activity.

Taxes

Tax and spend, big government, and bloated bureaucracy – that’s the big three in Washington and Sacramento. Tax cuts are working for the country, but California taxpayers are being unfairly punished for their zip code. Californians are getting squeezed by higher property and gas taxes. California and the federal government have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Smaller government and lower taxes are the keys to strong economic growth.[24]

”
—Mike Garcia's 2020 campaign website[5]


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[25][26]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points.


Candidate ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for 25th Congressional District candidates in California in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in California, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
California 25th Congressional District All candidates 2,000 Fixed number $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 12/6/2019 Source

District history

2018

See also: California's 25th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 25

Katie Hill defeated incumbent Stephen Knight in the general election for U.S. House California District 25 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Katie Hill
Katie Hill (D)
 
54.4
 
133,209
Image of Stephen Knight
Stephen Knight (R)
 
45.6
 
111,813

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 245,022
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 25

Incumbent Stephen Knight and Katie Hill defeated Bryan Caforio, Jess Phoenix, and Mary Pallant in the primary for U.S. House California District 25 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Stephen Knight
Stephen Knight (R)
 
51.8
 
61,411
✔
Image of Katie Hill
Katie Hill (D)
 
20.7
 
24,507
Image of Bryan Caforio
Bryan Caforio (D)
 
18.4
 
21,821
Image of Jess Phoenix
Jess Phoenix (D)
 
6.4
 
7,549
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Mary Pallant (D)
 
2.7
 
3,157

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 118,445
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

BattlegroundRace.jpg



The district was a battleground race in 2016.

See also: California's 25th Congressional District election, 2016

California's 25th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Stephen Knight (R) won re-election to his second term in 2016. He defeated Bryan Caforio (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Knight and Caforio defeated Jeffrey Moffatt (R) and Lou Vince (D) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[27][28][29][30][31][32]

U.S. House, California District 25 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Knight Incumbent 53.1% 138,755
     Democratic Bryan Caforio 46.9% 122,406
Total Votes 261,161
Source: California Secretary of State


U.S. House, California District 25 Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Knight Incumbent 48.3% 63,769
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Caforio 29.1% 38,382
     Democratic Lou Vince 15.4% 20,327
     Republican Jeffrey Moffatt 7.3% 9,620
Total Votes 132,098
Source: California Secretary of State

State profile

See also: California and California elections, 2020
USA California location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of January 23, 2020

Presidential voting pattern

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held 10 and Republicans held one of California's 21 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • California's governor was Gavin Newsom (D).

State legislature

California Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D D R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Assembly D D D S R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

California quick stats
  • Became a state in 1850
  • 31st state admitted to the United States
  • As of 2018, California was the most populous state in the country.
  • Members of the California State Senate: 40
  • Members of the California State Assembly: 80
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 53
More California coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for California
 CaliforniaU.S.
Total population:38,993,940316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):155,7793,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:61.8%73.6%
Black/African American:5.9%12.6%
Asian:13.7%5.1%
Native American:0.7%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.4%0.2%
Two or more:4.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:31.4%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,818$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Washington Post, "Republican Mike Garcia wins Democratic-held House seat in California in a boost for GOP," May 13, 2020
  2. ↑ CBS News, "Katie Hill, California congresswoman, resigns amid allegations of affairs with staff," October 27, 2019
  3. ↑ The Hill, "California Democrat Christy Smith launches first TV ad in bid for Katie Hill's former House seat," accessed January 28, 2020
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Christy Smith's 2020 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed April 28, 2020
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mike Garcia's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed April 28, 2020
  6. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named executiveorder
  8. ↑ CNN, "'All of it presents a challenge': Down ballot candidates grapple with impact of coronavirus," March 14, 2020
  9. ↑ Palm Springs Desert Sun, "Coronavirus: May special election for State Senate will be all vote-by-mail, Newsom says," March 21, 2020
  10. ↑ LAist, "CA-25 Special Election: Who Will Represent This District During The Coronavirus Pandemic And Recovery?" April 23, 2020
  11. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  12. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  13. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  14. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Politico, "Ad wars begin in California House special election," accessed April 9, 2020
  16. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  17. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  18. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  19. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  20. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  21. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Christy Smith's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed January 22, 2020
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Mike Garcia's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed January 22, 2020
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  25. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  26. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  27. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democrat Lou Vince says he will challenge Rep. Stephen Knight," April 30, 2015
  28. ↑ Daily KOS, "Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Steve Knight might be the one who gets 'dropped on his ass'," April 23, 2015
  29. ↑ Evan Thomas' campaign website, "2016 campaign announcement," June 25, 2015
  30. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democratic lawyer announcing challenge to GOP Rep. Steve Knight," December 10, 2015
  31. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
  32. ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
  33. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013


California's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Laphonza Butler (D)
Alex Padilla (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Ami Bera (D)
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Ro Khanna (D)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Jim Costa (D)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Raul Ruiz (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
Judy Chu (D)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
Ted Lieu (D)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Young Kim (R)
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
Democratic Party (42)
Republican Party (12)


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