A special 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 open primary election was held on June 1, 2001, of which Democratic AmbassadorDiane Watson won nearly a third of the vote in a field of sixteen candidates. She handily defeated her main challenger, Republican Noel Hentschel, in the general election. Watson was redistricted to 33rd district for the 2002 election, in which she was re-elected.
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 the 1978 election to represent the 28th district. He never faced serious competition during his tenure, and would serve eleven terms. Before starting his twelfth term, of which he was elected to 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