SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (CN) – Standing outside a grocery store, Hal Nissenbaum is exasperated, decrying the state of his city he says has been neglected by corrupt politicians and robbed recently of its brightest political prospect in years.
Nissenbaum says Santa Clarita – part of California’s 25th Congressional District, once a GOP stronghold – is less conservative now but that residents should still be wary of drastic political shifts to the left.
“I’m not much for a Republican-controlled state,” Nissenbaum said in an interview. “But I’m also not a fan of the ultra-liberal trend in state politics.”
A 23-year resident, Nissenbaum says he will vote in the March 3 primary election to fill the seat left vacant after former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill resigned last year amid an ethics probe over news of her relationship with a campaign aide.
Hill won the hotly contested seat as part of a “blue wave” that handed Democrats control of the House in 2018.
Nissenbaum says the district was robbed of seeing Hill mature into a formidable and truly responsive politician, but voters can still steer the political direction of the district.
They will have that chance in the upcoming primary, selecting both a candidate for the full congressional term as well as a candidate in the special election to fill the empty seat until next January.
Chris Smith, who dropped out of the race this month, says voters are concerned about income inequality, climate change and access to health care. He decided to run after Hill resigned and state Assemblywoman Christy Smith – no relation – was seemingly hand-picked by state Democrats to fill the seat.
“I didn’t see her as a progressive and I felt voters deserved a candidate who would elevate a progressive platform,” Smith said in an interview, adding the assemblywoman has not engaged a broader field of voters, particularly by not participating in debates. “I understand the strategy, but the real losers are the voters. Voters don’t get an accurate representation for who she is.”
Assemblywoman Smith, who flipped her assembly seat from red to blue in 2018, has been endorsed by California Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles Times.
“Smith is a centrist, pragmatic Democrat who in just a year in the Legislature has distinguished herself as an elected official more interested in pushing good policy than playing politics, something we’d like to see more often in Congress,” the Times’ Editorial Board said in its Feb. 12 endorsement. “We recommend that voters choose her on March 3, and that they do so twice.”
Other endorsements include the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program, an effort by the party to support candidates in crucial elections.
The lawmaker, whose district encompasses over half the congressional district, said in a statement this week she wants to bridge political divides, not widen them.
“In Congress, I will lead the same way and bridge the gap between both parties to address our most pressing issues, because the residents of the CA-25 and this country deserve results,” Smith said.
A campaign spokesperson said the assemblywoman’s schedule would not allow for an interview.
Cenk Uygur, a Democratic candidate and host for online news company The Young Turks, says the race is still wide open.