Climate Candidate Briefing:
Christy Smith (CA-27)
Candidate Type: Challenger
Race Rating: Toss-up
Party: Democratic
Race Status & Polling
Christy Smith’s race is rated a toss-up. She is challenging incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia, who previously represented the 25th district. This section will be updated with district-specific poll results as they are published.
California’s 27th Congressional District
Image from The Map Shop
California’s new 27th congressional district is located in Los Angeles County. The redrawn district has a D+8 partisan lean.
Climate impacts:
Climate attitudes (note: this data was collected prior to the district’s new partisan composition.):
According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 76% of voters in CA-27 are concerned about climate change, while 79% believe it will harm future generations (above the national average).
Sixty-seven percent believe Congress should do more about climate change and believe climate change should be a “high priority” for the next president and Congress, which is above the national average.
Climate issues are discussed by less than half the electorate. Only 43% indicated they talk about climate change even “occasionally,” but this is above the national average of 35%.
Christy’s Climate Position & Record
Christy Smith has been publicly vocal about the need to address climate change, particularly with respect to coastal protection and wildfires. Read more on her GiveGreen profile.
The Opposition
Christy is challenging a sitting member of Congress, Rep. Mike Garcia. Rep. Garcia has received a 21% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters, meaning he rarely takes a pro-climate vote in Congress.
Concurrent Elections
In 2022, California also has a statewide gubernatorial election.
Key Dates and Resources
October 10: Vote by mail begins
October 24: Voter registration deadline
November 8: General election (mailed ballots must be postmarked by this date)
Resources
Climate Changemakers fundraiser for Christy Smith (GiveGreen)
2022 House race ratings (Cook Political Report)
2022 House Crystal Ball (Larry Sabato, UVA Center for Politics)
2022 House elections (FiveThirtyEight)
Follow @ChristySmithCA on Twitter to stay up to date!