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Crowded field of 23 to face off in special election for Becerra's former seat
FILE PHOTO: Xavier Becerra, now the California attorney general, attends a news conference in Washington, D.C., where the rhetoric of then presidential candidate Donald Trump is discussed.
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Crowded field of 23 to face off in special election for Becerra's former seat
Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Wednesday released a final list of 23 candidates who will run in the April 4 special election for the 34th Congressional District seat representing parts of Los Angeles.
The office had been held by Xavier Becerra before Gov. Jerry Brown tapped him to become California's attorney general following Kamala Harris' election in November to the U.S. Senate.
Among the candidates in the race is state Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2012. Gomez, who lives in Eagle Rock, has been endorsed by Harris, among others. If he is elected, his move from the Legislature could trigger yet another special election.
The packed field of competitors includes 19 Democrats and four candidates listing other party affiliations: William Rodriguez Morrison, Republican; Kenneth Mejia, Green Party; Angela McArdle, Libertarian; and Mark Edward Padilla, who listed no party preference.
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The race will come at a steep expense to taxpayers. The Los Angeles County Registrar's office estimates it will cost them nearly $1.4 million to conduct the election in April.
A full list of the candidates can be viewed online. The district includes neighborhoods like Highland Park and Eagle Rock.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in the April contest, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff on June 6.
This story has been updated.
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