2001 California's 32nd congressional district special election

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2001 California's 32nd congressional district special election
	June 5, 2001
California's 32nd congressional district
Turnout	15.27%
U.S. Representative before election; Julian Dixon; Democratic	Elected U.S. Representative ; Diane Watson; Democratic

A special general election was held on June 5, 2001, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 32nd congressional district to replace Julian Dixon, who died on December 8, 2000, of a heart attack.

A special blanket primary was held on April 10, 2001, of which Democratic Ambassador Diane Watson won nearly a third of the vote in a field of sixteen candidates. She handily defeated her main challenger, Republican Noel Irwin Hentschel, in the special general election. Watson was redistricted to the 33rd district for the 2002 election, in which she was elected to a full term.

Background

Located mainly in the Culver City area of Los Angeles County, the 32nd district was considered a Democratic stronghold. It voted strongly Democratic in the past few presidential elections, giving Al Gore a lead of 70 percentage points over George W. Bush in the 2000 election.^[1]

Julian Dixon was first elected in 1978 to represent the 28th district. He never faced serious competition during his tenure, and would serve eleven terms. Before starting his twelfth term, to which he was elected with 83.5% of the vote, he died in Los Angeles of a heart attack.^[2]

Candidates

Democratic Party

Kirsten W. Albrecht
Jules Bagneris, candidate for Los Angeles City Council in 1989
Tad Daley, author and anti-war activist^[3]
Frank Evans III
Nate Holden, Los Angeles City Council member (1987–2002) and state senator (1974–1978)
Wanda James
Philip A. Lowe
Kevin Murray, state senator (1999–2005) and state assemblyman (1994–1998)
Blair H. Taylor
Leo Terrell, civil rights attorney and political commentator
Diane Watson, U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia (1999–2000) and state senator (1978–1990, 1994–1998)

Republican Party

Mike Cyrus
Noel Irwin Hentschel, philanthropist and candidate for lieutenant governor in 1998
Mike Schaefer, San Diego City Council member (1965–1971) and financial analyst

Green Party

Donna J. Warren, human rights activist

Reform Party

Ezola Foster, educator and candidate for U.S. vice president in 2000

Endorsements

Tad Daley (D)

John B. Anderson, U.S. Representative for IL-16 (1961–1981) and independent candidate for U.S. president in 1980^[4]
Martin Sheen, actor^[4]

Noel Irwin Hentschel (R)

Burt Bacharach, composer and songwriter^[5]

Results

Primary

Special election, April 10, 2001^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Diane Watson	29,524	32.87
	Democratic	Kevin Murray	23,697	26.38
	Democratic	Nate Holden	15,005	16.70
	Republican	Noel Irwin Hentschel	4,806	5.35
	Democratic	Leo Terrell	4,387	4.88
	Democratic	Philip A. Lowe	2,742	3.05
	Republican	Mike Schaefer	2,315	2.58
	Democratic	Tad Daley	1,407	1.57
	Green	Donna J. Warren	1,167	1.30
	Democratic	Jules Bagneris	1,145	1.28
	Republican	Mike Cyrus	982	1.09
	Democratic	Kirsten W. Albrecht	768	0.86
	Democratic	Wanda James	572	0.64
	Democratic	Blair H. Taylor	558	0.62
	Reform	Ezola Foster	514	0.57
	Democratic	Frank Evans III	244	0.27
Total votes			89,833	100.00
Turnout				3.51

General

Special election, June 5, 2001^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Diane Watson	75,584	74.82
	Republican	Noel Irwin Hentschel	20,088	19.88
	Green	Donna J. Warren	3,792	3.75
	Reform	Ezola Foster	1,557	1.54
Majority			54,496	54.94
Total votes			101,021	100.00
Turnout				15.27
	Democratic hold

References

^ Statement of Vote (2000 President)
^ Simon, Richard; Anderson, Nick (December 9, 2000). "Respected lawmaker Julian Dixon dies". Los Angeles Times.
^ Tad Daley (April 13, 2001). "2001 Congressional Campaign: Platform". Daley Planet.
^ ^a ^b Daley Planet
^ newsmeat.com
^ "CA District 32 - Special Election Race - Apr 10, 2001". Our Campaigns. January 29, 2012.
^ "City of Los Angeles General Municipal & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results June 5, 2001" (PDF). Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles. June 16, 2001. p. 2.

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