Though Napolitano and her spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment, a state lawmaker who plans to run for her congressional seat said the Norwalk Democrat, who has been a fixture in state, local and national politics for nearly four decades, would not seek another term next year.
“Her dedicated service to the community over the years has been priceless,” said state Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera). “What a remarkable legacy. And I’ve received encouragement from her to go ahead and run.”
A member of the California congressional delegation, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about a colleague, also confirmed Napolitano’s plans.
The 86-year-old congresswoman is expected make the annoucement Saturday morning at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Grace F. Napolitano Nature Education Center in La Puente. Napolitano’s decision comes five months after long-time California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, announced that she would not seek another term as friends and foes alike questioned her fitness for office.
Democrats had been speculating about Napolitano’s plans for some time because of her age and lackluster fundraising for the 2024 election. She reported raising less than $21,000 during the first three months of this year, according to the Federal Election Commission. Her retirement is expected to unleash an intense intra-party battle to represent her San Gabriel Valley congressional seat.
Napolitano, a Texas native, was elected to the Norwalk City Council in 1986, the state Assembly in 1992 and Congress in 1998. She worked at the Ford Motor Co. for more than two decades. Trade, immigration, transportation and the environment are among the issues she focused on while in office.
She currently represents the Latino-majority 31st congressional district, which is wholly contained in Los Angeles County and includes Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Duarte, Irwindale, La Verne and San Dimas as well as parts of Glendora, Industry and Monrovia.
Democrats had a 27% point edge over Republicans in the district’s voter registration as of Feb. 10, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office. Democrats accounted for 48.6% of the district’s voters, while those who expressed no political preference were 23.3%. Nearly 21.5% identified as members of the GOP.
The district’s partisan tilt is among the reasons Democrats predicted it would be a blockbuster race once Napolitano decided to retire. It’s a rare open seat that offers ambitious legislative and local elected officials a higher perch – even though it won’t affect control of a narrowly divided Congress.
“These seats don’t come up and open that often so you would expect a pretty big field given the opportunity and no term limits in Congress,” said Dan Rottenstreich, a San Diego-based Democratic consultant.
Rottenstreich said that, with the 2024 primary less than a year away, candidates with established bases of political support and proven fundraising ability will have a big advantage. Both of which will be essential to win in the Los Angeles area, one of the most expensive media markets in the nation.
Three Democrats have already opened campaign accounts to run: Archuleta, Citrus Community College Trustee Mary Ann Lutz and Baldwin Park Planning Commissioner Ricardo Vazques, according to the Federal Election Commission.
“We live in challenging times. We need serious, experienced leaders who can deliver for the San Gabriel Valley and for our nation,” Lutz said in a statement last month announcing her run. “I know how to lead through difficult times and produce positive results. And that’s exactly what I’ll do for the constituents of this district as their next Congresswoman.”
Vazques said he decided to run because he’s had personal experience with poverty, homelessness, the foster care system and other struggles many in the district face.
“I understand the many challenges that are in the communities, this district is facing,” he said
Archuleta, a former Pico Rivera mayor and more moderate member of the Legislature’s Democratic caucus, is the most well-known among the three candidates who’ve already filed to replace Napolitano. Archuleta is an Army combat veteran and former paratrooper, according to his official legislative biography, and has spent much of his time in the statehouse focusing on military and veterans issues, as well as promoting hydrogen energy technology.
Archuleta was elected in 2018 to replace a state lawmaker who resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior during the #MeToo movement in the Legislature. In 2021, Archuleta faced his own scandal after a former staffer filed an unresolved lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Archuleta has denied the allegations.
Archuleta said he is waiting for Napolitano to publicly announce her retirement from Congress and formally endorse him before he moves ahead with the next phase of his campaign.
Another potential candidate is Democratic state Sen. Susan Rubio of Baldwin Park, another moderate Democrat and a former public school teacher who spent more than a decade in local politics before she was elected to the Legislature in 2018. During her time in Sacramento, Rubio has authored a number of affordable housing and education bills, including an unsuccessful proposal last year to make kindergarten mandatory in California.
But the bulk of Rubio’s legislative accomplishments include strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors, efforts that stem from her own accusations of abuse while she was a Baldwin Park City council member against her then-husband and former Assemblymember Roger Hernandez.
Gil Cisneros, a former congressman who is the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Biden Administration, also has been receiving calls urging him to run for the seat, according to an advisor close to him.