Former California Rep. Katie Hill has been out of Congress for six months, but she’s cutting an ad aimed at helping the Democratic candidate in her old district, trying to keep it in her party’s hands in the May 12 special election.
Hill left Congress in early November after admitting to a “throuple” relationship between her, her husband, and an aide in her victorious 2018 campaign, in which she unseated an incumbent Republican House member in a northern Los Angeles County district. She was also accused of an affair with a male congressional aide, which she has denied.
The May 12 all-party election to succeed Hill pits Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith against Mike Garcia, a former U.S. naval officer and now-defense contractor executive who is a first-time candidate.
Politico reports the former congresswoman’s PAC, Her Time, will spend $200,000 to broadcast the ad on TV in the district to boost Smith.
Appearing in a black surgical mask and standing in front of the White House, Hill appears in the video, saying, “We’re all scared. And it’s even more dangerous because of what’s coming out of that building right behind me, but there’s something we can do about it. It’s me, Katie Hill. There’s a special election for Congress on May 12.”
She adds, “We have to vote. Because we’ve seen when we take our vote for granted, we put ourselves and our communities in danger. So, before May 12, be sure to return the ballot you got in the mail. This time, we’ve got to vote like our lives depend on it.”
No candidates are mentioned in the ad.
House Republicans are pushing hard for Garcia to win the seat in a bid to reverse massive California losses in 2018. The House GOP needs to win about 18 seats this fall to win back the majority it held for eight years, until the 2017 elections.
