# 2001 California's 32nd congressional district special election

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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 Ambassador Diane 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.

## 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.
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.

## Candidates
### Democratic Party

* Kirsten W. Albrecht
* Jules Bagneris, candidate for Los Angeles City Council in 1989
* Tad Daley, author and anti-war activist
* 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 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

* John B. Anderson, U.S. Representative for IL-16 (1961–1981) and independent candidate for U.S. president in 1980
* Martin Sheen, actor
* Burt Bacharach, composer and songwriter

## Results
### Primary

Special election :
| Party | 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 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 | Total votes | Total votes | 89,833 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 3.51 |

### General

Special election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Diane Watson | 72,995 | 74.81 |
| | Republican | Noel Hentschel | 19,403 | 19.89 |
| | Green | Donna J. Warren | 3,661 | 3.75 |
| | Reform | Ezola Foster | 1,512 | 1.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 53,592 | 54.93 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 97,571 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 15.27 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |