REAL-TIME RESULTS: 25th Congressional District Election

LOS ANGELES, CA — The polls closed on both the special election and primary election for the 25th Congressional District. Soon voters will know who their two candidates will be heading into the November general election after weeding out 11 of the motley crew of 13 candidates vying for former Rep. Katie Hill's seat.

It’s been a wild ride for the people of the 25th Congressional District, one of the most closely watched Congressional races in the country. The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Any candidate that could get a majority of the vote in the special election would have filled the remainder of Hill’s term until the general election. However, with a majority of the votes tallied, it doesn't look as though any candidate can come close to that threshold. If the top candidate doesn't reach 50% of the vote, than the top two candidates will face off in a special runoff election on May 12.

Democrat Christy Smith held and maintained a slight lead as soon as the first precincts were counted, but Republican Mike Garcia remained a close second throughout the night followed by Steve Knight, who held the seat before Hill knocked him out in 2018.

Less than six months ago, it seemed unthinkable that Hill, a rising star in the Democratic party, would face a serious challenger. But she quit amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a staffer and vowed to fight for victims of revenge porn after nude photos of her were published by a conservative website.

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In this crowded field of contenders, Knight, the former Republican Congressman, fought for his old job along with the host of an online liberal news show and a Trump aide who has a prison record for lying to federal agents in the Russia investigation. The 25th, flipped in 2018 as part of the 'blue wave' that delivered the House to the Democrats, has been firmly in the sights of Republicans.

The district, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley and portions of the northern San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley and Ventura County, was long held by Republicans before Hill came along. The best known names in the race on Tuesday included Knight, Cenk Uygur (D) host of the online news show “The Young Turks,” and Assemblywoman Christy Smith (D). She's not to be confused with the other Chris Smith in the race — Christopher Smith (D), who suspended his campaign in January but still appeared on the ballot Tuesday. George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian agents on behalf of the Trump campaign, also ran.

Christy Smith, who carried Hill’s endorsement, was quick to pounce on his conviction. After he announced his candidacy, she tweeted, “If he pled guilty to lying to the FBI -- how do we know he'll tell us the truth? We deserve someone from our community serving as our voice - not @realDonaldTrump's wannabe political hack!”

The complete list of candidates on Tuesday’s ballot included:

Robert Cooper (D)
Getro Elize (D)
Christopher Smith (D)
Christy Smith (D)
Cenk Uygur (D)
Anibal Valdez-Ortega (D)
Mike Garcia (R)
Kenneth Jenks (R)
Stephen Knight (R)
David Lozano (R)
Daniel Mercuri (R)
George Papadopoulos (R)
Otis Lee Cooper (I)