LOS ANGELES — A swath of northern Los Angeles County represented by one of the most endangered Republicans in Congress is expected to be among the hottest midterm races in the nation. But first, voters must decide which Democrat they want to challenge GOP Rep. Mike Garcia in the fall — a candidate who lost to Garcia twice or a newcomer to the area.
Former Assemblywoman Christy Smith and former Navy intelligence officer John Quaye Quartey are vying for one of the top two spots in Tuesday's primary election. Under California's election rules, the top two vote-getters in the primary will move to the November general election regardless of party.
Garcia, as the incumbent and only prominent Republican running, is widely expected to get the most votes in the primary, said Fernando Guerra, a political science professor and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.
