High stakes in high desert race for CA’s 27th Congressional District

The high desert communities of Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita often fly under the radar, but they may be thrust into the national spotlight when residents cast their votes for California’s 27th Congressional District in November.

The hotly contested but often overlooked race pitches Republican incumbent and former U.S. Navy pilot Mike Garcia against Democratic challenger and former NASA Chief of Staff George Whitesides. It’s the only battleground race in L.A. County and it could play key role in determining which party controls the House of Representatives.

The district used to be a conservative stronghold, but has swung light blue in recent years as families move  from metro Los Angeles to the suburbs in pursuit of cheaper housing, and the district lines have been tweaked.

Currently, 42% of registered voters are Democrats and 30% are Republicans. The Democratic party is hoping to flip the seat.

Whitesides has been tapped to be part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s ‘Red to Blue’ effort, giving him exclusive access to party dollars and campaign strategists.

He currently leads fundraising with $4.3 million to Garcia’s $3.6 million, according to FEC filings through the first quarter of 2024. About $750,000 comes from Whiteside’s own pockets.

But while dollars and party demographics may lean in Whitesides favor, Garcia has strengths of his own.

The Republican incumbent has deep community roots and successfully fended off Democratic challenges in 2020 and 2022. His strategy relies on attracting independents and moderate Democrats’ votes by focusing on kitchen table issues and emphasizing his willingness to work across party lines.

“We believe in leading the country and constituent services and legislation in a bipartisan manner that’s oriented towards security,” Garcia said. “Regardless of whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, people care about their own security. They care about the nation’s security, neighborhood security, border security and economic security.”

He is ranked in the top one-third of congress members who have voted for bipartisan legislation and has led efforts to boost pay for military members and bust illegal marijuana growers in his district.

Garcia has also consistently voted for Donald Trump and bills to restrict abortion access. Whitesides is hoping this will come back to bite him in a district that voted in 2020 for Biden, who got 12.5% more than Trump in the district.

“Congressman Mike Garcia has proven time after time that he agrees that Donald Trump should be able to overturn elections, betray our allies, and wipe away our fundamental American rights to privacy and control over our own bodies,” Whitesides said.

“The people of CA-27 are also deeply concerned about their personal freedoms and privacy and want a representative who will protect women’s right to choose,” he added.

Whitesides’s campaign has also attacked Garcia for supporting bills that would cut funding to Medicare, the Social Security Administration and affordable housing programs.

Garcia maintains that his priority is common sense government spending that reduces inflation and everyday costs for Americans.

“I’ve been very aggressive about cutting government spending where there’s fat, where there’s fraud, where there’s waste, to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to reverse the tide of this inflation problem,” Garcia said.

Both candidates are promising to bring more jobs to the area, where many residents spend hours commuting between the district and major job centers including Los Angeles.

Garcia said he’s created “thousands of jobs” in his district by securing federal funding for training programs at local community colleges and advocating for investment in regional industries while sitting on the House Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittee on Defense.

Whitesides is touting his resume — which includes stints as CEO of Virgin Galactic, NASA chief of staff and co-founder of an organization to combat wildfires — to show his ability to get things done, and his connection to the region’s aerospace industry.

“I’m a businessman. I’ve signed paychecks, created hundreds of good-paying jobs in the Antelope Valley, and worked to address the threat — and the cost — of the wildfire crisis on our families,” said Whitesides. “I’ve supported local schools and created training programs for kids coming out of high school and Antelope Valley College to be trained on the job and earn a mortgage-paying wage.”

In addition to criticizing his voting record, the Whitesides’ campaign is also slamming Garcia over allegations of insider stock trading. Earlier this week they launched an ad campaign attacking him for selling $50,000 in Boeing stock months before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Garcia is a member, released a damning report on the aerospace company.

Garcia has dismissed this as a ridiculous campaign attack tactic and pointed to the fact that the Office of Congressional Ethics has not pursued an investigation into the allegations, which date back to 2020.

“Garcia was a minority member of the committee who was not in any way involved in the production of the report, and he was entirely unaware of the report’s contents until it was released,” said Liam Anderson, a spokesperson for Garcia. “This makes claims of insider trading an impossibility.”

Garcia, for his part, has accused Whitesides of being an opportunistic outsider who lacks real roots in the community.

“I don’t know him. I’ve never met the guy. I don’t think many people have,” Garcia said. “I don’t think he’s from the district.”

Whitesides grew up in Massachusetts and attended Princeton and Cambridge universities before embarking on a career in the space industry. He moved to the district in 2010 when he began working for Virgin Galactic.

Whitesides said he’s “very active” in the community and pounds the pavement “meeting voters, business owners, students, and families from Lancaster to Granada Hills.”

Garcia grew up in a multigenerational immigrant household in the Antelope Valley, which makes him a relatable figure in a district that is 45% Latino.

The true test of which candidate connects best with the community will come when residents take to the ballot box in November.