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California's 25th Congressional District election, 2016
The 25th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
California's 25th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Stephen Knight (R) won re-election to his second term in 2016. He defeated Bryan Caforio (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Knight and Caforio defeated Jeffrey Moffatt (R) and Lou Vince (D) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[10][11]
Unlike the top-two format used in some states (Louisiana and Georgia special elections for example), a general election between the top-two candidates in California occurs regardless of whether the top candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round of elections.
As of June 2025, California was one of five states to use a top-two primary system, or a variation of the top-two system. See here for more information.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election, the incumbent was Stephen Knight (R), who was first elected in 2014.
California's 25th Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes part of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.[12]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Stephen Knight Incumbent |
53.1% | 138,755 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Caforio | 46.9% | 122,406 | |
| Total Votes | 261,161 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
Stephen Knight Incumbent |
48.3% | 63,769 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Caforio |
29.1% | 38,382 | |
| Democratic | Lou Vince | 15.4% | 20,327 | |
| Republican | Jeffrey Moffatt | 7.3% | 9,620 | |
| Total Votes | 132,098 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates:  Stephen Knight   Bryan Caforio |
|
Primary candidates: Bryan Caforio[13] Lou Vince[14] Stephen Knight - Incumbent[8] Jeffrey Moffatt[8] |
|
Withdrew: Maria Gutzeit (D)[15][16] Evan Thomas (D)[8][17] |
Race background
Incumbent Stephen Knight was a member of the NRCC's Patriot Program. The program was designed to help raise money and assist vulnerable incumbents seeking re-election.[18]
Bryan Caforio was added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Emerging Races program on April 8, 2016. Emerging Races was the second tier of the Red to Blue program. According to the DCCC, it included the districts "where campaigns are on track and working hard to put seats in play."[19][20]
Presidential preference
Stephen Knight
In May 2016, Knight was unsure whether he would endorse or vote for Donald Trump. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Knight said he was still 'working on figuring out what I am going to do with the presidential race." Knight added that "he is still looking at 'some of the situtaions [sic] that might happen in July' at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. 'We still got a convention. And they are not going to cancel the convention, and he still hasn't gotten enough delegates. So until that happens, I think this is a moot point, I think this is something for sensationalism.'"[21]
On October 6, 2018, following the release of the 2005 Access Hollywood recording, Knight stated that he would not support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.[22]
Endorsements
Bryan Caforio (D)
- Rep. Brad Sherman[23]
- The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California[24]
- Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris (R) - "As a proud Republican, I’m asking residents of the 25th Congressional District to put our community above political party, and join me in voting for Bryan Caforio in November."[25]
Steve Knight (R)
For a full list of endorsements, click here
- Kevin McCarthy, Congressman & House Majority Leader — California’s 23rd Congressional District
- Scott Wilk, State Assemblyman — Assembly District 38
- Tom Lackey, State Assemblyman — Assembly District 36
- Michael Antonovich, Supervisor — Los Angeles County Supervisor
- Bob Kellar - Mayor, City of Santa Clarita
Lou Vince (D)
- The California Democratic Party[26]
Polls
| California’s 25th District - Steve Knight vs. Bryan Caforio | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Steve Knight |
Bryan Caforio | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||
| Tulchin Research/DCCC October 14-18, 2016 | 46% | 44% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| DCCC July 30, 2016 | 46% | 40% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
Bryan Caforio
|
|
|
|
Steve Knight
Support
|
Opposition
|
Campaign themes
Steve Knight
| “ |
|
” |
| —Stephen Knight's campaign website, http://steveknight.org | ||
Bryan Caforio
| “ |
|
” |
| —Brian Caforio's campaign website, http://bryancaforio.com | ||
Campaign contributions
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Stephen Knight
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Bryan Caforio
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
District history
2014
The 25th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Buck McKeon did not seek re-election in 2014.[28] Stephen Knight (R) defeated Tony Strickland (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Knight |
53.3% | 60,847 | |
| Republican | Tony Strickland | 46.7% | 53,225 | |
| Total Votes | 114,072 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 25th Congressional District of California held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Buck McKeon won re-election in the district.[29]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Buck McKeon Incumbent |
54.8% | 129,593 | |
| Democratic | Lee Rogers | 45.2% | 106,982 | |
| Total Votes | 236,575 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: California elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in California in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| February 25, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of signature in lieu of filing fee period for voter-nominated offices | |
| March 11, 2016 | Ballot access | Close of declaration of candidacy and nomination paper period for voter-nominated offices | |
| April 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| May 26, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| August 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Semi-annual report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| Sources: California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed January 11, 2016 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for State Candidate Controlled Committees Listed on the June 7, 2016 Ballot," accessed January 11, 2016 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings," accessed October 20, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed October 20, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed October 20, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democrat Lou Vince says he will challenge Rep. Stephen Knight," April 30, 2015
- ↑ Daily KOS, "Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Steve Knight might be the one who gets 'dropped on his ass'," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Evan Thomas' campaign website, "2016 campaign announcement," June 25, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democratic lawyer announcing challenge to GOP Rep. Steve Knight," December 10, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democratic lawyer announcing challenge to GOP Rep. Steve Knight," December 10, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Democrat Lou Vince says he will challenge Rep. Stephen Knight," April 30, 2015
- ↑ Daily KOS, "Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Steve Knight might be the one who gets 'dropped on his ass'," April 23, 2015
- ↑ The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, "Gutzeit drops out of congressional race," January 21, 2016
- ↑ Evan Thomas' campaign website, "2016 campaign announcement," June 25, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Exclusive: NRCC Adds 8 More Vulnerable Members to Patriot Program," May 1, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Democrats Land Colorado Recruit to Expand House Playing Field," April 8, 2016
- ↑ DCCC, "DCCC Chairman Luján Announces First 31 Districts In Red To Blue Program," February 11, 2016
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "GOP Rep. Steve Knight tries to distance himself from Donald Trump," May 6, 2016
- ↑ Ventura County Star, "Knight withholds support from Trump," October 8, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter Essential Politics: Choosing a new leader," January 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "ARNOLD stars for KASICH -- CD25 game changer? -- SUPER BOWL windfall," March 4, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "The MEG WHITMAN effect -- DE LEON: ‘Not There Yet’ on legal marijuana -- KAMALA HARRIS adds to team," August 4, 2016
- ↑ California Democratic Party, "Statewide Endorsed Candidate," accessed March 3, 2016
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ USA Today, "House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon to retire," January 16, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, California," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
