George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign staffer and key figure in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, on Monday announced that he is running for Congress in California’s 25th House district, adding a high-profile name to a crowded race for the recently vacated seat.
In a potential made-for-TV event, Mr. Papadopoulos is seeking the seat recently vacated by Katie Hill, a Democrat who resigned amid a sexual scandal. His Democratic opponents include Cenk Uygur, an outspoken progressive and host of the YouTube news and commentary series “The Young Turks,” and supporter of the Sen. Bernard Sanders presidential campaign.
Mr. Papadopoulos, a Republican, said Monday that he’s going to promote an “America First” agenda — a phrase that President Trump has embraced as one of his central governing philosophies.
“So many of the people in the Republican leadership in [this] state are trying to convince voters and even people running for office … that we need to evolve as a Republican Party, we cannot be the same Republican Party as other states. That’s the wrong policy,” he said on “Fox and Friends.” “It’s turned blood-red districts in this state blue and it’s going to lead to the Republican being an extinct individual here.”
Mr. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of Mr. Mueller’s probe. He served about two weeks in prison last year as a result, and his sentence has made him a sympathetic figure in some conservative circles.
Several Republican candidates, including former Rep. Steve Knight — who was unseated by Ms. Hill in 2018 — have already announced their candidacies to represent the Los Angeles-area district.
Democratic candidates include Mr. Uygur and State Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who has won Ms. Hill’s endorsement.
Though Mr. Papadopoulos and Mr. Uygur might be well-known in political circles, they aren’t “household names,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, a political handicapping publication.
“They need to find a way to turn their profiles into fundraising dollars and then into votes,” Mr. Gonzales said. “That’s an expensive task in a district covered by the expensive Los Angeles media market.”
Mr. Uygur has risen to prominence as host of “The Young Turks,” but has come under fire since entering the race for past statements criticized as sexist and biased against Jewish and Muslim people.
In a 2000 blog post, for example, he complained about his lack of a sex life despite living among a hotbed of beautiful women in Miami. He concluded that the genes of women are “flawed” and that “they are poorly designed creatures who do not want to have sex nearly as often as needed for the human race to get along peaceably and fruitfully.”
He also has said Orthodox Jews and Muslims are teaching their children things that are “Looney Tunes.”
The Democratic Alliance for Action, an activist group in Santa Clarita, California, said it was “highly concerned” about “inappropriate and hateful” comments from Mr. Uygur against women, LGBTQ people, and people of the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the statements made and encourage all community members within the 25th Congressional District to do the same,” the group’s executive board said in a statement.
Mr. Uygur previously apologized for such statements.
In response, he issued a statement to The Daily Beast saying his past comments don’t reflect what he believes and that the Democratic groups who are now offering criticism never reached out to him.
“Curiously, these same Democratic operatives also blame me for critiquing President Obama from the left,” he said. “So, I wonder if their concern is that I used to be conservative or if their real concern is that I am too progressive.”
Though Mr. Uygur and Mr. Papadopoulos could attract some attention to the race, Republicans could face an uphill climb in their bid to win back the seat.
Gov. Gavin Newsom set March 3 for a special primary to fill the vacancy left by Ms. Hill, which is the same day as the Democratic presidential primary in California.
If a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, they would win the special election outright. If not, the top two vote-getters will advance to another election May 12.
In a state such as California, where Democrats enjoy a significant registration advantage over Republicans, any splintering of the GOP vote could be fatal for Republicans and at the very least ensure a Democrat-vs.-Democrat race in May.
Mr. Gonzales said Democrats start with the initial advantage in the district.
“There’s no reason to believe the area has gotten remarkably better for the GOP in recent months,” he said. “Democrats will also have the advantage on turnout since the initial race will be held simultaneously with the presidential primary.”
The seat is vacant after Ms. Hill recently resigned from Congress amid allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a staffer in her Washington office, which she has denied.
She did acknowledge that she had a past inappropriate relationship with a female campaign staffer.
This week, she lamented “right-wing” attacks.
“These kinds of attacks are meant to silence you, demean you, and show that you do not have power,” she said on CNN. “So for me, it was really important to show that that’s not going to work.
“And I have to own up to my responsibility in this, but I think coming forward and saying I’m going to continue to be a voice for people who believed in me and what this whole fight is about is something that I believe in,” she said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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