James Gallagher is facing Mike McGuire Tuesday in California's 1st Congressional District. The race comes after Proposition 50 redrew the seat, shifting its map before voters choose a full-term representative.
Gallagher entered the contest after winning a June special election to finish the term of the late Doug LaMalfa, taking 62% of the vote under the old boundaries. In the primary for the full term, held the same day under the new lines, Gallagher edged McGuire 42.1% to 41.8%.
California's 1st Congressional District
Under Proposition 50, the district now includes Chico, Oroville, Santa Rosa and Susanville. It also covers all of Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra and Tehama counties, along with parts of Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Redding is no longer part of the district. That leaves voters in the redrawn seat choosing between Gallagher, a former Assembly minority leader who represented the 3rd Assembly District from 2014 until he joined Congress, and McGuire, a former state Senate president pro tem who represents the 2nd Senate District.
James Gallagher and Mike McGuire
Gallagher said in his candidate statement that he is focused on lowering living costs, protecting healthcare access and holding government accountable. McGuire said in his candidate statement that he would hold ICE accountable, repeal tax cuts for the wealthy, and push for "Healthcare for All."
The June results show two different contests inside the same district: Gallagher won the special election by a wide margin under the old map, but the full-term primary under the new lines was nearly even. Tuesday's vote decides which of them takes the seat under the redrawn boundaries.
