Candidates Scramble, One Quits, After Redistricting Shakes Up California's Congressional Races

Two years aft Huntington Beach residents voted to effectively prohibition Pride flags from being displayed connected metropolis property, nan blimpish coastal metropolis could beryllium represented by a cheery personnel of Congress and outspoken professional of President Trump — Rep. Robert Garcia.

That twist of destiny came aft past year’s unprecedented mid-decade rejiggering of California’s legislature districts.

Voters successful November overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50 — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s scheme to neutralize Republican gerrymandering successful Texas — to thief Democrats triumph power of nan House this November and put a meaningful cheque connected nan Trump administration.

The governmental tremors triggered by nan ballot measurement already person reshaped California’s governmental landscape.

Veteran Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of bluish San Diego County, an incessant thorn successful nan backside of President Obama, has called it quits. Northern California Rep. Kevin Kiley has shed his GOP explanation to tally arsenic a governmental independent. And 2 Republican legislature incumbents find themselves successful a governmental decease lucifer successful a recently crafted territory straddling Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The caller 42nd District remains anchored successful Garcia’s location guidelines of Long Beach. But nether nan caller lines, it has swapped retired Southeast L.A. communities specified arsenic Downey and Bell Gardens for nan much MAGA-friendly cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

“I opportunity that each clip a territory crosses nan L.A.-Orange County border, a Democrat gets its wings,” said Paul Mitchell, nan redistricting master who drew nan caller lines for Democrats. “Drawing nan Long Beach territory to spell down to Huntington Beach meant that you’re giving Robert Garcia a organization that, successful its elected City Council, has been existent anathema to who he is arsenic a person, being an retired cheery personnel of Congress.”

The alteration intends Garcia’s territory shifts rightward pinch a batch much Republican voters, but still has a Democratic majority. Former Vice President Kamala Harris would person still won nan caller territory successful nan 2024 statesmanlike title by 13 points, making Democrats assured that it’s still 1 wherever Garcia could win.

As nan apical Democrat connected nan House Oversight Committee, Garcia is poised to triumph much powerfulness successful pushing backmost against nan Trump management if humanities precedent holds and Democrats triumph backmost nan House mostly successful November.

Garcia was unavailable for an interview, but galore of nan caller voters he will person to tribunal are represented by Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine), who won nan intimately divided Orange County spot successful 2024 and now faces a somewhat bluer voting guidelines successful his recently configured district.

“I person a batch of voters to present myself to,” said Min, who described himself arsenic “progressive for Orange County” because he cares astir protecting civilian authorities but often aligns pinch rule enforcement and small-business interests.

“The connection [to caller voters] is that you whitethorn not ever work together pinch me, but that I will effort my champion to do what I say. I will conflict to present connected nan promises I make, I will conflict for nan values that I correspond myself arsenic caring about. And I perceive to my constituents,” he said, noting that he precocious held his seventh municipality hallway since he was elected.

In a neighboring Orange County district, Republican Reps. Young Kim and Ken Calvert are going to conflict for power of nan region’s only safe Republican spot post-Proposition 50. That territory besides crosses region lines — into Corona, Chino Hills and different parts of occidental Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Republicans whitethorn beryllium dismayed to spot nan 2 celebrated statement leaders battling it retired successful what promises to beryllium a sadistic and costly election.

Republican “primary voters are looking for really to separate betwixt 2 of nan aforesaid flavor,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican governmental strategist. “Republican voters are going to for illustration some of them, truthful really do you make that judgment?

“Often, it comes down to who their friends are,” he said, noting that endorsements from liking groups and different elected officials are usually much valuable successful primaries than wide elections.

A fistful of Democratic candidates person besides declared for nan seat, which run strategists said could divided nan wide ballot and let some Calvert and Kim to beforehand to nan wide predetermination ballot.

Issa bids farewell, Kiley drops GOP label

Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) listens to grounds from witnesses during a House Oversight Committee proceeding entitled “Reviews of nan Benghazi Attack and Unanswered Questions,” successful nan Rayburn House Office Building connected Capitol Hill successful 2013 successful Washington.

(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

Issa’s determination to forgo a tally for reelection came arsenic a astonishment Friday, moreover though speculation has swirled astir his early aft nan recently drawn legislature districts put him successful a spot wherever Democratic voters outnumber Republicans. That was a awesome downgrade from his existent district, which swallows up right-leaning eastbound San Diego County and nan blimpish pockets of Temecula and Murrieta.

“This determination has been connected my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly,” Issa said successful a statement. “But aft a quarter-century successful Congress — and earlier that, a quarter-century successful business — it’s nan correct clip for a caller section and caller challenges.”

Democrats celebrated nan departure of Issa, who helped money nan successful 2003 recall of California Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, and led nan legislature investigation of nan 2012 onslaught connected nan U.S. negotiated ngo successful Benghazi during nan Obama administration.

“After complete 2 decades of disastrous representation, Darrell Issa is erstwhile again moving for nan exits — and bully riddance,” said Anna Elsasser, spokesperson for nan Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Several Democrats had already announced plans to situation Issa, including San Diego City Councilmember Marni Lynn von Wilpert.

Proposition 50 besides divided nan sprawling territory held by Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin, into six pieces, leaving nan Northern California congressman and predominant Newsom professional pinch fewer bully options.

Over nan pursuing months Kiley posted connected societal media to denote — for illustration nan making love show “The Bachelor” — wherever he would not tally until it came down to 2 districts: a safe Republican spot that would unit Kiley into a superior pinch longtime Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) aliases a territory pinch a 9-point Democratic registration advantage.

Kiley chose to debar challenging McClintock and delivered his last roseate to nan caller 6th District on pinch a twist: On Friday nan congressman announced he would tally arsenic an independent campaigner alternatively than a Republican.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) successful his agency successful Washington successful 2025.

(Richard Pierrin / For The Times)

In a lengthy societal media station and accompanying video, Kiley said he has go “frustrated, sometimes disgusted, by nan hyper-partisanship successful Congress” and that he answers to constituents, “not statement leaders.”

But without a governmental statement down him, Kiley’s run is “entirely his burden,” said Republican strategist Matt Rexroad. “He’s not going to get nan statement endorsement. He’s really connected his own.”

Without a missive denoting a governmental statement adjacent to their sanction connected nan ballot, independent candidates person historically gotten mislaid successful nan mix.

One different candidate, a Christian writer named Michael Stansfield, confirmed Friday that he revenge to tally for nan spot arsenic a Republican, giving Kiley automatic title for blimpish votes.

Several Democrats person already announced campaigns for nan spot — which lumps blimpish suburbs of Sacramento pinch liberal-leaning ones person to nan superior metropolis — including erstwhile authorities Sen. Richard Pan, Sacramento Dist. Atty. Thien Ho, West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero and Lauren Babb, a nationalist affairs leader for Planned Parenthood clinics successful California and Nevada.

The title could revive a pandemic-era rivalry betwixt Kiley and Pan, who tussled complete vaccine and nationalist wellness rules while serving successful nan authorities Legislature.

New districts, caller challengers

For immoderate longtime Democrats specified arsenic Rep. Brad Sherman, nan summation of caller GOP voters could thief them fend disconnected challenges from younger progressive candidates.

Half a twelve Democrats, mostly younger progressives, person revenge paperwork to situation Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), 71, who has represented parts of nan San Fernando Valley for astir 30 years.

The 32nd District remains solidly bluish post-Proposition 50, but a astir seven-point plaything to nan right “makes it little apt that 2 Democrats spell to nan general, which makes it little apt that [Sherman] would get beaten,” said Mitchell.

It’s a akin communicative for Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove), who are each successful their 70s and 80s and facing younger, much progressive challengers.

While gaining much blimpish voters whitethorn thief immoderate incumbents debar facing different Democrat successful November, nan threat of specified a faceoff is pushing them to beryllium much progressive connected nan run trail, Rexroad said.

“You’re seeing much activity by Doris Matsui and Mike Thompson and John Garamendi arsenic a consequence of them being challenged, because they for illustration their seats and they’d for illustration to clasp connected to them,” Rexroad said.

Times unit writer Seema Mehta contributed to this report.