Your guide to the California Congressional District 27 race: Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley
After narrowly defeating a Republican incumbent in 2024, Rep.George Whitesides now faces less of a battle defending his Santa Clarita Valley seat — not only because he holds the power of incumbency, but also because his district was redrawn under Proposition 50.The northern L.A.
County district, which encompasses much of the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, went from being a toss-up seat in 2024 to a solidly Democratic one this election cycle, according to the Cook Political Report.Through the redistricting process, it lost red voters in areas of Acton and Agua Dulce and gained blue voters in the the northwest San Fernando Valley.
And although Whitesides no longer will be attempting to flip a seat, he nonetheless faces challengers from both the Democratic and Republican parties seeking to represent this urban and High Desert district, which is home to major aerospace bases and logistics warehouses.California California’s primary election takes place on June 2.
Learn about L.A.’s city and county races and others for state offices.Gibbs has been a member of the Santa Clarita City Council since 2020 and was chosen by his peers to serve as the city’s mayor in 2023.He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at Cal Poly and went on to work in the aerospace industry, according to his campaign website.
He has lived in Santa Clarita for nearly a decade while raising two young children, his bio says, and has served on the local boards of the Boys and Girls Club, the Valley Industry Assn.and the Salvation Army.Whitesides defeated Republican incumbent Mike Garcia to represent the 27th Congressional District in 2024.
Whitesides worked on President Obama’s transition team in 2008 and served as NASA chief of staff during the Obama administration, according to his campaign bio.He was the first chief executive of Virgin Galactic, co-founded Megafire Action, a nonprofit that advocates for legislation to address the growing problem o...