Given the pronounced rightward bent of the election it was gratifying to see George Whitesides defeat Mike Garcia — as of this writing the only California congressional district to flip. Since incumbents generally get re-elected, and this was a Republican year, the win by Whitesides is especially noteworthy. Although the 27th District is purple, it is growing a more bluish tint. Consider: 20 years ago Buck McKeon won re-election to the then-25th District with 64% of the vote. Those, folks, are red-state numbers. Ten years ago the district was so Republican the election was between two Republican candidates. Democrats could not even get one of their own into the general election. Democrats now make up the largest plurality of voters in the 27th District, and George Whitesides was the beneficiary of that. And unlike the hapless Christy Smith, he was much better funded for his run. But elections are also referendums on the incumbent, so Mike Garcia was most definitely on the ballot. And the voters did not like what they saw. Now let me first state I do not believe Mike Garcia is unfit to be a congressman. I think his record the past five years mediocre, with few accomplishments to show for his time, but he was not unfit. There are many reasons why Garcia lost, but I submit (several) that in the end revealed much about his character, and if character counts, Garcia proved to be deficient. As previously stated, the 27th is a purple district. This does not mean we are filled with moderate-thinking voters. In actuality, what makes a district purple is that it happens to be home to roughly equal numbers of partisan voters. In the case of  the 27th, approximately 40% are registered Democrats and 30% Republicans. Given these demographics one would think that Garcia would have voted more moderately and broken with his party more in areas like climate change, labor, infrastructure, abortion and LGBTQ issues. He chose not to.  Although Garcia protested that Republicans were mad at him for being too bipartisan, and Democrats mad for him being too partisan, the truth is every time Garcia ran up against MAGA priorities, he would cave to them. Perhaps no other issue of our times is more vexing than abortion. As I understand it to be pro-life is to believe that abortion is murder. That abortion is infanticide. These are not mere words. This is a belief system based on the notion that the fetus has inalienable rights and the killing of the fetus is a monstrous, barbaric act. And if you truly believe that, then I respect your position. What I don’t respect, and where I found Mike Garcia to be wholly hypocritical, was his stated position that abortion should be left to the states. And since California had already voted, overwhelmingly, to be pro-choice, he would not vote for a national ban. So if I understand Garcia, abortion is infanticide in Idaho, but a choice in California. What kind of moral code is that? Does anyone believe that if a national ban on abortion came down to Garcia being the 218th vote in the House, he would vote against it because of California? The same state that he has stated, many times, he does not want the rest of the country to look like? Congressman Garcia, the voters of the district simply did not believe you. Come January, former Congressman Garcia will be fine. He will parlay his years in Congress into some lucrative lobbying gig. And the quest to rescue, first the House, and then the country, will continue. Lynn Wright Valencia The post Lynn Wright | A Noteworthy Election Defeat appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.