Duncan Hunter seat will remain vacant as Newsom forgoes special election – By Jeremy B. White (Politico) / Jan 8 2020
Rep. Duncan Hunter’s San Diego-area seat will remain vacant until 2021 once Hunter steps aside, potentially undercutting the GOP’s prospects for holding the district.
While Hunter pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds in December, he waited until Monday to formally set his resignation date for next week. Now California Gov. Gavin Newsom has confirmed he will not call a special election to fill the seat, with a spokesperson citing “the timing of the resignation.”
Fellow Republicans vying for Hunter’s seat have accused him of dragging his feet. They’ve warned that an open seat would deprive voters of representation in Congress and could weaken their standing going into November by ensuring they aren’t fielding a Republican incumbent.
The 50th Congressional District is one of California’s few remaining Republican-held House seats, and Hunter’s fall has galvanized a crowded field of potential successors: former Rep. Darrell Issa, former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and state Sen. Brian Jones are all taking a shot on the Republican side, as is Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar.
Even without a Republican incumbent, the GOP is favored to hold on to the seat given a robust registration advantage.
DeMaio excoriated Newsom for his “outrageous and unconscionable” decision to skip a special election.
“If this were a safe Democrat seat, you know damn well that the Governor would have wanted it filled as soon as possible — but because this is a Republican seat, he couldn’t care less about the voters in our district,” DeMaio said in a statement. “By playing politics, Gavin Newsom is denying the fundamental right for these residents to have the voice they deserve in Congress.”
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