The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Garcia claims victory in 25th Congressional District Race; Opponent objects

by •

Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith.

LOS ANGELES – The next update in the vote count in the 25th Congressional District race is scheduled to be released Tuesday, Nov. 24,  but Rep. Mike Garcia has claimed victory with a 400-vote lead.

“After a long, tough fight, I am proud to earn the privilege of serving CA-25 for another two years,” Garcia said in a statement released Friday night. “With only a few remaining ballots to be counted, victory is clear.”

But challenger Christy Smith called Garcia’s declaration of victory “dangerous to our democratic process.”

“With a mere 400-vote margin and thousands of ballots outstanding, election officials are diligently working to process ballots and accurately count all outstanding votes to ensure our communities are heard, and this race remains too close to call,” Smith said in a statement.

“The congressman’s decision is wholly inappropriate and disrespectful of those who have taken the time to vote this year. Our county officials and Secretary of State Alex Padilla have done a phenomenal job of protecting every voter’s right to be heard in the most challenging election of our lifetime. We owe them, and especially our voters, our continued patience as the process is completed,” Smith said.

It was unclear how many ballots from the Nov. 3 election remain to be counted in the district, which stretches from the Antelope Valley into Ventura County. Friday was the last day vote by mail ballots would be accepted.

Garcia’s lead over Smith dropped 46 votes in his bid for a full term representing the 25th Congressional District, according to figures released Friday by the Secretary of State’s Office. He has 169,060 votes, or 50.1%, while Smith has 168,660, or 49.9%.

The race has remained close since election night.

Smith took a 1,287-vote lead on Nov. 9 after trailing by 432 votes at the start of the day’s count. Garcia regained the lead Nov. 10, pulling 159 votes ahead and has led at the end of each day’s count since then.

Garcia defeated Smith, 54.86%-45.14%, or 95,667-78,721, in a May 12 special election to fill the final 7 1/2 months of the term of former Rep. Katie Hill, D-Agua Dulce, who resigned following the online release of salacious photos and allegations of an extramarital affair with a staff member.

The seat had long been held by Republicans until Hill’s 2018 victory over then-Rep. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale.

–

41 comments for "Garcia claims victory in 25th Congressional District Race; Opponent objects"

    • I keep forgetting that Garcia is our current rep.

      Is he doing anything? Well, other than voting “No” on funding for the post office.

      Or, just sitting with his thumb up his a$$?

      Anyway, if he does indeed win, he’ll be in the minority in Pelosi’s House. There, he will be useless like Steve Knight was.

      What will he get done for the 25th District in the next 2 years? Nada. Thanks GOP.

  7. Look at the photo of Mike Garica. Would you buy a used car from that sleazy Trumper?

    They used to say that about Nixon.

    • Donald J. Trump
      @realDonaldTrump
      Why is Joe Biden so quickly forming a Cabinet when my investigators have found hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes, enough to “flip” at least four States, which in turn is more than enough to win the Election? Hopefully the Courts and/or Legislatures will have….
      This claim about election fraud is disputed
      5:18 PM · Nov 21, 2020 from Twitter by the Twit

      Ha ha. Remember when Trump’s “investigators” flew to Hawaii and found lots of evidence that President Obama wasn’t a U.S. citizen? Remember that Barbi and the rest?

      I do and he found NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL. He simply changed the subject like he’ll do now.

    • Though we don’t know why, the most surprising revelation unearthed throughout this elections rigging business, we’ve discovered elected Republicans are collectively terrified, of Soros, Feinstein and Pelosi.

  9. Watch intently, as we patiently await the old switch-a-roni. The this closer election rigging traces its root, to Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein, the more the mainstream media will act out, kick and scream. It’s at that point Democrats will fabricate bombshell revelations, through their little buddies in the mainstream media, blaming Venezuela, Cuba for rigging the election. And, all their fellow Republicans in the Legislature will lockstep with their new narrative –

  10. This is really sad, because Garcia is a straight chump for Trump who has shown absolutely no initiative to think for himself about anything. With Trump successfully booted out I was hoping his little butt suckers would be going away as well.

  11. It’s the “internets” Matt.

    Barbi (below) is spouting the same nonsense.

    Hey, Barbi.

    I’m alleging you are a jewel thief. The police are going to come to your house to find out whatever they can. We need to investigate you.

    That’s what you sound like about the election fraud nonsense. There’s no evidence and it’s been a fishing expedition from BEFORE the election. You took the bait. You must like the taste of bait. It’s worse than cat food.

    Come back with some evidence you can point to or STFU and I won’t have the police investigate you for some made up nonsense. Ya hear, Miss Inquiring Mind.

  12. Painfully apparent to even the most myopic of Democrats, we have Pelosi’s, Schumer’s, McConnell’s and McCarthy’s fingerprints, all over this thing. The crime of the century, overturning what otherwise would have been a landslide, election rigging on such scale, across such unprecedented extent, could never have occurred without Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell and McCarthy having a hand in it.

    • Show us, big mouth. Where’s the evidence?

      Ghooliani keeps getting allegations, which are as fact-based as your comment, thrown out court by Trump appointed judges in Republican controlled states no less.

      You are so misinformed it must hurt.

  13. If there is any election fraud I’m guessing it happened in the People’s Republic of Lancaster where Dear Leader Rex Jong Un controls the elections. Really. He does.

    He always wins big time.

    He considers the sheriff’s department as his personal military like Trump does.

    He practices voter suppression with electons off the regular calendar.

    His “enabling” church should have their tax exemption revoked.

    Any questions? Right wingers always ask questions they don’t want answered.

    • Mind you, Democrats are not the Lone Ranger, rigging these elections. Republican legislators have just as many hands in this election rigging business, as do they –

      • Even the most dimwitted of democrats has little choice but begrudgingly concede, were it true our elections were rigged, our mainstream media would have no compunction lying through its teeth, covering it up.

    • There was no election fraud: Joseph Biden has been elected President. There was no election fraud: Rex Parris was elected mayor. There was no election fraud: Hofbauer was elected mayor. You might not like the election results but there was no election fraud. Now, if you have absolute proof (evidence) of election fraud then bring it on. If you’re going to demand proof of election fraud on a national level, then don’t be hypocrites and supply proof on city level.

  14. Maybe they will have everything counted up by January. I think since thee kids are all home schooling, they sent the boxes of ballots to them to count.

  15. Has anyone asked the AP? Evidently, the AP calls elections.

    Seriously, ballots were accepted up to Nov 20th??!!! That’s over two weeks after the election day.

    • Seems to me that Mail-in-Ballots SHOULD have been in long before Nov. 20th!! I wonder what other states are still getting mail in ballots with Nov. 3rd stamped on them. Oh wait, from what I’ve read the ”pre-paid” return envelopes DON’T get postmarked… That’s CRAZY!!

      • Well, well, well, you’re an expert on crazy Magnetlady.

        Your reaction has been noted for all time.

      • I’ve read that Santa is real!!! Told me so in a live recording of the night before Christmas on this here intranet thing a ma jig. If u dont want to state ur source, then u know it’s some crazy right wing site or it didnt happen. Are u suggesting Magnetlady that if Smith loses she should try to sue through the courts, or demand recounts. I heard in one of those other elections they saw people throwing away ballots and having dead people vote. Again this here intranet thingy told me. I hope u got my sarcasm on just how bad u sound because I was laying it on pretty thick.

    • Silence = complicity. Not a single peep regarding election rigging, America’s mainstream media is complicit. If not moreso, its hands are as deep in it, as is our legislature’s. Inquiring minds would like knowing, where in the flock is our FBI?

      • You cant hide a secret that big. There is no proof, that’s why its ignored! If there were mass corruption on a scale that large, somebody, somewhere, would either accidentally slip and say something, or say something on purpose, but nobody has. U cant hide something on that sort of a scale. It would be too many people involved. And before u try to come back at me with proof, please make sure it’s not something Rudy knows, or some crazy QAnon conspiracy theory, but actual proof.

      • Barbi isn’t a real person. It is just an app that repeats right wing/fox news/breitbart nonsnese.

        So, there’s that.

      • Where’s Senator Feinstein? Crime of the century, she’s been unusually quiet. Quiet as a mouse, isn’t she? Ownership stake in Dominion, not a thing to say about it?

      • Imagine that, in collusion, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein and George Soros hold more sway determining who becomes president, than 270 million Americans, combined.