Endorsement: Christy Smith is the best choice to replace Katie Hill in Congress (CA-25)

Los Angeles Times

After up-and-coming Democratic Rep. Katie Hill resigned from her 25th Congressional District seat in October amid a swirl of scandalous allegations and leaked photos, more than a dozen candidates lined up to replace her in the Santa Clarita-area district.

Among them are Steve Knight, the Republican former congressman whom Hill unseated in the 2018 blue wave, and a number of local grass-roots candidates, as well two relatively well-known political figures from outside the district: George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign advisor convicted of lying to the FBI during special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation, and Cenk Uygur, the fiery progressive founder of the Young Turks online talk show.

But the best choice voters can make is the candidate whom many of them already have voted for: Christy Smith, a low-key but effective member of the California Assembly and former school board member. Smith is a centrist, pragmatic Democrat who in just a year in the state 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. We recommend that voters choose her on March 3, and that they do so twice.

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As for the higher-profile candidates whom we aren’t endorsing, Mike Garcia, a real estate businessman and former Navy pilot, is the Los Angeles County Republican Party’s pick despite the fact that Knight is also in the race. Garcia’s lack of relevant experience in government or politics suggests that he will not have the ability to rise above the party line when it comes to making important decisions for the nation. Papadopoulos, who is running only in the race for the full two-year term, seems more interested in hawking his new book than campaigning. Uygur is seeking the seat to further the progressive agenda he has promoted on his show. But while we agree with him about the corrupting influence of money in politics and some other subjects, we find his pugnacious style off-putting and not conducive to a more civil Congress.