House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is reportedly panicked after a surprising new poll from an upcoming House of Representative special election shows the formerly Democratic California 25th district is likely to flip to Republican control.
A recent “1892 Poll” shows Republican candidate Mike Garcia is leading his Democratic rival heading into a Tuesday special election, 43 percent to 39 percent.
Garcia is a decorated fighter pilot veteran. Among voters that are aware of his military past, Garcia’s support soars.
He leads rival Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith 69 percent to 26 percent among voters who know of Garcia’s past as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot. Garcia’s campaign has been pouring resources into this advantage, threatening to upend Democratic control in the district.
The election is seen as an important test for President Donald Trump’s re-election chances. Garcia is an outspoken supporter of Trump.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the election allows voters to weigh-in for the first time at the ballot box on the White House’s — and Congressional Democrats’ — response to the crisis.
According to Newsmax, the small-but-solid lead in the poll sent national Democrats — including Pelosi — into a panic. Pelosi sent a nationwide email to reliable Democratic Party donors calling for their help.
Pelosi called for a fundraising effort to help Smith, who is “neck-and-neck with Trump’s Republican in the polls.”
She asked donors “to help Democrats protect and expand our Majority nationwide” by giving to Smith’s faltering campaign.
The 25th Congressional district was formerly represented by Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif.
Hill quit her position in Congress after photos leaked of a threesome sex scandal involving her former husband and one of her staffers.
The former Vice Chair of the House Oversight Committee, Hill resigned in Oct. 2019 rather than face a Congressional ethics probe into her conduct.