Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 38 since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2023 US Representative for District 27
OnAir Post: Christy Smith
About
Source: Campaign page
Christy Smith is a 40-year resident of the City of Santa Clarita in the congressional district she is running to serve. In 2020, Smith ran against Republican Congressmember Mike Garcia and earned 36,000 more votes than any other Democrat in our district’s history and came within 333 votes of winning in one of the closest congressional races in the nation.
As a distinguished state legislator, Smith authored nine bills focusing on education reform, homeowner protections, college affordability and good governance, which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. This legislative package also included a landmark measure, now law, that removes barriers for survivors of human trafficking to access victims’ compensation. In addition, Smith helped shepherd historic investments in emergency management and also secured $700,000 for the Free Clinic of Simi Valley, $450,000 for the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center and $1,397,000 for College of the Canyons.
Prior to the State Assembly, Smith formerly served two terms as a Governing Board Member of the highly successful Newhall School District. She also chaired the successful Measure E Prop 39 bond campaign for the Newhall District, which has provided $60 million in resources for facility and technology upgrades.
A graduate of Hart High School in Santa Clarita, Christy attended College of the Canyons and graduated with honors from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science. At age 24, as a student worker, Smith negotiated her first contract, with wage and benefit increases on behalf of over 400 classified employees. After graduating, Christy started her career in public service as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Education. Christy eventually returned to California with her husband to raise their family. While raising her two daughters, Christy was very active in local education, serving as a PTA and site council member before being elected to the Newhall School Board in 2009. She additionally founded the Valencia Valley Technological Education Foundation and served as its initial chairwoman.
She currently lives in Santa Clarita with her husband Philip and their two daughters.
Web
Campaign Site, Wikipedia, Twitter, LinkedIn
Politics
Source: none
Finances
SMITH, CHRISTY has run in 4 races for public office, winning 1 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $9,798,615.
Source: Follow the Money
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
Issues
Source: Campaign page
I’m running for Congress to fight for the issues that matter most to the people of the 27th District. I’m committed to advancing educational, social, economic, and environmental equity and fighting for a better future for all Californians.
Economy & Jobs
CREATING JOBS & AN EQUITABLE ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE
We need to get serious about creating better-paying jobs right here in our community so more middle-class families can prosper and don’t need to spend hours away from their families to commute to downtown Los Angeles.
Christy Smith has a plan to do it. She believes we must make smart investments in transportation infrastructure, education, scientific research, and renewable and clean energy industries to create sustainable jobs in our community that will also pay the mortgage. We must do more to help people start and grow small businesses right here at home and give people the career skills they need by making colleges and trade schools more affordable and accessible, all the while ensuring that workers have the right to organize and have a voice in the workplace through unions.
As a former labor leader, Christy understands the value of our unions and passing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act or PRO Act to support California’s working families.
Environment & Energy
TAKING ON CLIMATE CHANGE & FIGHTING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Here in the 27th District, we are all too familiar with the emerging threat of the climate crisis—experiencing wildfires in nearly every part of the district, air and water pollution, drought, and more.
For too long, federal agencies have fallen short in their stewardship, so we must fight to ensure accountability and reform. We have a lot of work to do to protect the air our children breathe and water they drink here at home, including shutting down the Aliso Canyon gas facility and ensuring aggressive oversight of our district’s two toxic waste clean-up sites, Santa Susana Field Laboratory and Whittaker Bermite, and three landfills, Sunshine Canyon, Chiquita Canyon, and Simi Valley.
As Chair of the State Assembly’s Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, Christy co-authored a law that ensures first responders have mental healthcare covered in their workers’ compensation policy and worked to ensure communities had the resources needed in the face of growing wildfires. Christy held town halls to properly educate communities about wildfire resiliency and how to prevent loss of life, livelihood and property.
Now, Christy is an appointed member of the California Delta Stewardship Council where she works on issues like water supply reliability and ecosystem health with the council consisting of experts on agriculture, science, the environment and public service.
We must also invest in building a fully renewable and clean energy infrastructure using wind and solar to create good mortgage-paying jobs and combat the climate crisis so we can ensure our community is a place where families can live and thrive for generations to come, before it’s too late.
Health & Education
EXPANDING ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
Healthcare is a human right and while the Affordable Care Act was a tremendous step in that direction, Christy believes we need to do more to reduce costs, ensure that every American has access to affordable healthcare, and protect those with pre-existing conditions. Additionally, Christy believes we need to have the same consumer protections in the healthcare system as we do in any consumer market, which includes transparency when it comes to the real cost of healthcare treatments. She will work to shed light on pricing that for too long has been negotiated in the dark.
Congress needs to do the work of controlling the skyrocketing cost of healthcare, including the rising costs of prescription drugs. It’s unacceptable that US taxpayers subsidize the research and development of lifesaving drugs, only to pay more for them than people who live in Europe, Japan, and Canada. Christy will also fight to protect Medicaid and Medicare, women’s reproductive healthcare rights, and funding for Planned Parenthood.
In the California State Assembly, Christy Smith:
Secured $700,000 for the Free Clinic of Simi Valley
Wrote and passed the bill to help community colleges recruit and retain nursing faculty
Authored legislation to increase affordable access to mental health services, particularly in rural areas
Defending reproductive freedom and expanding access to reproductive health services
During a historic pandemic, Christy was a leader in the State Assembly fighting for life-saving health and safety measures as well as economic assistance for struggling Californians.
To read why healthcare is personal to Christy, click here.
IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION & ENSURING SUCCESS FOR EVERY STUDENT
Christy believes that a great education levels the playing field and creates more opportunity for all of our young people. That’s why she has dedicated her career, particularly as a federal education policy expert and a member of her local school board, to improving schools and giving every student a fair chance through a world-class education, including:
Ensuring charter school accountability and transparency by authoring and passing the first significant regulation on California’s charter school industry in 27 years
Chairing the successful Measure E Prop 39 bond campaign for the Newhall District, which provided $60 million in resources for facility and technology upgrades
Making school sexual harassment resources accessible on school campuses
Expanding the California ScholarShare program to pay for expenses associated with college such as rent, textbooks and rent, expanding college affordability
In Congress, she will work to support every student from preschool to grad school. Christy will work to invest in local public classrooms so that we can hire more teachers and reduce class sizes, and pay teachers livable middle class wages.
We must ensure students have options after K-12, without going into a lifetime of debt. Christy will work to increase the affordability and availability of options like job training, apprenticeships, technical school, and more affordable public colleges and universities.
Human Rights
DEFENDING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
With abortion rights under attack, Christy has been a steadfast defender of the right to choose, which is why she has a 100% scorecard from Planned Parenthood. She’ll push back against Republican efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade and end funding for Planned Parenthood, protect abortion rights in federal law, and protect the ability to buy contraceptives.
During Christy’s first pregnancy, she experienced eclampsia, and endured multiple seizures that threatened her life. When she became pregnant a second time, she had to make the tough decision to continue her pregnancy, knowing she may leave her daughter without a mother should complications occur. This experience solidified for Christy that no politician can make these private and difficult decisions for women and families. That’s why Christy will always defend access to reproductive care and protect safe, legal abortion.
Public Safety
KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE
As a mother, Christy believes that every one of us has the right to live without the fear of gun violence and protect our families. That’s why she will work to promote public safety in neighborhoods across the 27th District and America by stemming the tide of gun violence and fighting for comprehensive and mandatory universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, “red flag” laws that allow families to ask courts to take guns away from domestic abusers and others who are a danger to themselves and others.
In 2019, our community endured a tragic shooting at Saugus High School that took two innocent lives. As our Assemblywoman, Christy sprang into action to support families and mobilize resources. Christy is very proud to hold an F-rating from the National Rifle Association and is deeply committed to fighting in Congress to reduce gun violence and work towards a new era of gun safety where no community has to face the tragedy we have.
Christy supports commonsense reforms and investments in public safety to continue to reduce emergency response times, lower crime rates, and improve neighborhood security for all communities. Our law enforcement departments can better serve our communities with increased investments in effective community-based policing, racial bias training, and crisis intervention training along with more trained support professionals, especially mental health experts, within and/or in conjunction with departments. In Congress, Christy will work to pass reforms and provide funding to keep all of our communities safe.
See Also
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Wikipedia
Christy Smith (née Fisher, born 1969) is an American politician who was the California State Assemblywoman for the 38th district from 2018 until 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, Smith ran three unsuccessful campaigns for Congress, losing all three to Republican Mike Garcia.[1]
Early life, education, and career
Smith was born in a U.S. Army hospital in 1969 in Würzburg, West Germany (now Germany). Her parents returned to the United States when she was six months old,[2] settling in Fortville, Indiana, where her father, Jerry Fisher, found work at RCA Records.[3][4] They later moved to Terre Haute before finally settling down in the Santa Clarita Valley in 1979.[4] The eldest of three children, she graduated from William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita and attended College of the Canyons.[5][4] She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from University of California, Los Angeles in 1993.[6][7][8] Smith then worked for the United States Department of Education as a policy analyst during the Clinton administration.[4] She has served two terms on the board of the Newhall School District.[9]
California State Assembly
In 2016, Smith ran in California’s 38th State Assembly district.[7] The seat was open after Republican incumbent Scott Wilk decided to run for State Senate.[10] Although she led the candidate field in the open primary in June, she eventually lost to Republican Santa Clarita City Councilman Dante Acosta, 52.87% to 47.13%, in the November general election.
In 2018, she ran again for the 38th district against Acosta and won 51.2% to Acosta’s 48.8%.[11][12][13]
She chaired the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management.[14]
California’s 25th congressional district elections
2020 special and general
On October 28, 2019, one day after Katie Hill announced her intent to resign from Congress, Smith announced her bid to fill Hill’s vacated congressional seat. Hill endorsed Smith as her successor.[15] Smith’s State Assembly district covers more than half of the congressional district.[16]
Smith picked up endorsements from the Los Angeles Times, Indivisible, and prominent Democratic figures such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and Governor Gavin Newsom.[17][18][19][20][21]
Smith’s 11 opponents in the March 3, 2020, primary election included former U.S. Representative Steve Knight, progressive political commentator Cenk Uygur, and foreign policy adviser for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign George Papadopoulos.[22][23][24] In December 2019, EMILY’s List endorsed Smith,[25] as did the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee the following month.[26]
Smith declined to attend a Democratic primary debate held on January 9, 2020, in Palmdale, California, citing her legislative duties in the State Assembly.[27]
On March 3, 2020, a primary for the special election was held to fill the remainder of Hill’s term at the same time that a primary election for the 117th United States Congress took place. Smith finished first in both elections. On May 12, 2020, a runoff was conducted to fill the remainder of Hill’s term, which she lost to Republican Mike Garcia,[28] a former U.S. Navy pilot. In the general election on November 3, 2020, she faced Garcia again, this time losing by 333 votes[29] for the full two-year congressional term.[17][30]
2022
In May 2021, Smith announced her intent to run a third time for what is now California’s 27th congressional seat.[31] In the November 8, 2022, election she lost again to Garcia.
Personal life
Smith lives in Santa Clarita, California, with her husband, Phil, and their two daughters.[5][32]
Electoral history
California State Assembly
2016
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 44,755 | 44.7 | |
| Republican | Dante Acosta | 36,236 | 36.2 | |
| Republican | Tyler Izen | 10,998 | 11.0 | |
| Republican | Jarrod R. Degonia | 8,215 | 8.2 | |
| Total votes | 100,204 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Dante Acosta | 102,977 | 52.9 | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 91,801 | 47.1 | |
| Total votes | 194,778 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2018
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Dante Acosta (incumbent) | 49,825 | 53.6 | ||
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 43,050 | 46.4 | ||
| Total votes | 92,875 | 100.0 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 89,468 | 51.2 | ||
| Republican | Dante Acosta (incumbent) | 85,417 | 48.8 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
U.S. House of Representatives
2020 special
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 58,563 | 36.2 | ||
| Republican | Mike Garcia | 41,169 | 25.4 | ||
| Republican | Steve Knight | 27,799 | 17.2 | ||
| Democratic | Cenk Uygur | 10,609 | 6.6 | ||
| Democratic | Aníbal Valdez-Ortega | 7,368 | 4.6 | ||
| Republican | Courtney Lackey | 3,072 | 1.9 | ||
| Democratic | Robert Cooper III | 2,962 | 1.8 | ||
| Republican | David Lozano | 2,758 | 1.7 | ||
| Republican | Daniel Mercuri | 2,533 | 1.6 | ||
| Republican | Kenneth Jenks | 2,528 | 1.6 | ||
| Democratic | Getro F. Elize | 1,414 | 0.9 | ||
| Democratic | David Rudnick | 1,085 | 0.7 | ||
| Total votes | 161,860 | 100% | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Mike Garcia | 95,088 | 54.9% | ||
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 78,234 | 45.1% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
2020 general
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 49,679 | 31.7 | |
| Republican | Mike Garcia | 37,381 | 23.9 | |
| Republican | Steve Knight | 29,645 | 18.9 | |
| Democratic | Cenk Uygur | 9,246 | 5.9 | |
| Democratic | Getro Franck Elize | 6,317 | 4.0 | |
| Republican | David Lozano | 6,272 | 4.0 | |
| Democratic | Anibal Valdéz-Ortega | 4,920 | 3.1 | |
| Democratic | Robert Cooper III | 4,474 | 2.9 | |
| Republican | George Papadopoulos | 2,749 | 1.8 | |
| No party preference | Otis Lee Cooper | 2,183 | 1.4 | |
| Democratic | Christopher C. Smith (withdrawn) | 2,089 | 1.3 | |
| Republican | Daniel Mercuri | 913 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | Kenneth Jenks | 682 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 156,550 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Mike Garcia (incumbent) | 169,638 | 50.0 | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 169,305 | 50.0 | |
| Total votes | 338,943 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2022
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Mike Garcia (incumbent) | 57,469 | 47.1 | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 45,675 | 37.4 | |
| Democratic | Quaye Quartey | 8,303 | 6.8 | |
| Democratic | Ruth Luevanos | 6,668 | 5.5 | |
| Republican | David Rudnick | 2,648 | 2.2 | |
| Republican | Mark Pierce | 1,352 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 122,115 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Mike Garcia (incumbent) | 104,536 | 53.2 | |
| Democratic | Christy Smith | 91,782 | 46.8 | |
| Total votes | 196,318 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
- ^ “Smith files to run for CA-25 in 2022”. December 5, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Christy (September 22, 2017). “Christy Smith: Time to hear what Dreamers have to say”. Retrieved November 21, 2018 – via Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
- ^ “Jerry Wayne Fisher obituary”. Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery. July 23, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Buttleman, Michelle (August 25, 2019). “Assemblywoman Christy Smith is passionate about public safety, education”. Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ a b “Christy Smith for Assembly 2018 – Meet Christy”. Christy Smith for Assembly 2018 – Home. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Martinez, Christian (May 28, 2018). “Assembly District 38: Competition high for seat that represents Simi Valley”. Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Holt, Jim (January 3, 2016). “Christy Smith announces run for Assembly seat”. Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ “Christy Smith: Media Release” (PDF). August 1, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ Signal staff (May 14, 2016). “38th Assembly District candidate profiles”. Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Harbin, Heather (March 11, 2016). “Scott Wilk Announces He Will Run For California State Senate”. KHTS. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ “2018 California General Election Results – State Assembly District 38 – Districtwide Results”. California Secretary of State. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Modesti, Kevin (November 15, 2018). “Election 2018: Republican Dante Acosta concedes; Democrat Christy Smith takes LA-area Assembly seat”. Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Anderson, Bryan (November 15, 2018). “More pain for GOP + Drowning in debt + Meet The Bee’s new political reporter”. Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Bricker, Brianna (December 27, 2018). “Assemblywoman Christy Smith to chair Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management”. The Santa Clarita Valley Proclaimer. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Schulberg, Jessica (December 18, 2019). “How Cenk Uygur Threw The Race To Replace Katie Hill Into Chaos”. HuffPost.
- ^ Wasserman, David (January 24, 2020). “CA-25 Special Election Moves From Lean to Likely Democratic”. Cook Political Report.
- ^ a b Macias, Martin (February 13, 2020). “Voters Set for Turbulent Primary in California’s 25th Congressional District”. Courthouse News. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ “Endorsement: Christy Smith is the best choice to replace Katie Hill in Congress”. Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ “Christy Smith”. Indivisible. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Daugherty, Owen (December 11, 2019). “Pelosi endorses Christy Smith in bid to replace Katie Hill”. The Hill.
- ^ Bowman, Bridget (November 19, 2019). “Kamala Harris endorses Christy Smith in race to replace Katie Hill”. Roll Call. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ White, Jeremy (November 14, 2019). “Progressive Uygur seeks Hill seat, blurs picture for Democrats”. Politico.
- ^ King, Laura (November 10, 2019). “Steve Knight says he will try to win back the House seat he lost to Katie Hill”. Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (October 29, 2019). “George Papadopoulos launches campaign to run for Katie Hill’s congressional seat”. The Hill.
- ^ “EMILY’s List Endorses Christy Smith in California’s 25th Congressional District”. EMILY’s List. December 10, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Mutnick, Ally (January 28, 2020). “DCCC adds 12 challengers to first round of ‘Red to Blue’ program”. Politico. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Drake, Julie (January 11, 2020). “Democratic hopefuls debate”. Antelope Valley Press. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Itkowitz, Colby (May 15, 2020). “Republican Mike Garcia wins Democratic-held House seat in California in a boost for GOP”. Washington Post. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ “U.S. House of Representatives District 27 – Districtwide Results, California Secretary of State website”.
- ^ “Democrat Christy Smith Concedes Tight Congressional Race to Republican Mike Garcia”. December 2020.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (March 31, 2021). “Christy Smith launches congressional campaign, setting up rematch for competitive California House seat”. The Hill. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ Lunetta, Caleb (September 26, 2018). “2018 Upcoming Santa Clarita Elections: Meet California’s 38th Assembly District Candidates”. KHTS. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ “Final Official Election Results – Congressional District 25”. March 3, 2020. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ “LA County Election Results”. March 3, 2020.
External links
- Christy Smith for U.S. Congress campaign website
- Christy Smith at Ballotpedia
