Former Congresswoman Katie Hill resigns, leaving her seat up for grabs

By: Nolan Cleary

Staff Writer

Sometimes, we rise high, only to fall farther. Such is the case with former California Congresswoman Katie Hill, who has resigned due to leaked photos.

Hill served as a congresswoman for 11 months. She gained national recognition in 2018 when she flipped California’s 25th Congressional district blue, a feat last accomplished in 1993. 

As many Democrats in the party are currently looking for a new voice, Hill was considered a rising star in politics for her youth. However, a new development may spell trouble for Hill’s political career. 

In October of 2019, DailyMail, a site known for their tabloid stories, leaked photos of Hill. Some showed Hill with a Nazi tattoo, while others showed her nude. 

The site also revealed that Hill had a sexual relationship with her then-husband Kenny Heslep as well as a female staffer for her campaign. 

As House ethics rules prohibit candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives from having relationships with staffers, the Democrat-led House announced an investigation on Hill. 

To end the investigation, Hill then announced that she would resign from Congress on Nov. 3. Her final vote was on whether the House should advance the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Hill is calling foul on the situation, saying that her resignation was forced due to a double standard against women. She referred to the leaked photos as revenge porn. 

Former Virginia Congressional candidate, Krystal Ball, who now co-hosts a web series for news publication The Hill (no relation to Katie Hill), has defended Hill, pointing out her experience running for Congress in 2010. Photos of Ball at a party with a plastic dildo were leaked.

Ball called the controversy sexist and likened it to Hill’s situation. Others however, are pointing out the controversy over sexual assault allegations involving then Minnesota Senator Al Franken that led to his resignation in 2017. 

At Hudson Valley Community College, students have mixed feelings on Hill’s situation.

Stephen Grant, a computer science major, said he sees no double standard in the handling of the leaked photos.

“I think [Hill] resigning is the right move,” said Grant. “Especially for the Democratic Party if they influenced that decision because it reflects poorly on them.”

However, Daniel Ramirez, a liberal arts major, said he believes a person’s private life is private, and Hill shouldn’t resign. 

“If you want to have threesomes that’s your business,” Ramirez said. “That’s not anybody else’s business.”

Ramirez said he questions the motives of DailyMail, who leaked the photos of Hill. 

“It speaks more on who leaked the photos than it does [on] her actually,” Ramirez continued. 

Jacquelin Boyd, a liberal arts major, said it was the right move for Hill to resign. 

“It’s probably a good thing she resigned,” Boyd said. “I don’t understand why people do any of that stuff in the first place.”

In spite of this, she says DailyMail shouldn’t have leaked the images. 

“I don’t think [DailyMail] should’ve leaked the photos because that was her private stuff,”continued Boyd. “Especially in this world, there really isn’t much privacy, especially if you’re online a lot or sharing on social media.”

Robert Whitaker, a political science professor at Hudson Valley Community College, likened the controversy to recent controversies involving politicians. 

“I kind of see it as another example of a member of Congress being caught up in a scandal due to pictures circulating on social media,” Whitaker said. “I think it kind of shows the power of the media to expose wrongdoing and scandal among members of Congress.”

Whitaker said the controversy is similar to that of former New York Congressman and former New York City Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner.

Weiner was forced to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives after nude photos came to the attention of the public.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that due to Hill resigning before the end of her term, a special election will be held. As California holds a jungle primary system, the top two vote gatherers will end up on the ballot regardless of political party. 

The race appears to be becoming more competitive, as former Republican Congressman Steve Knight, whom Hill unseated after four years in 2018, is running to reclaim his old seat. 

George Papadopoulos, President Trump’s former foreign policy advisor who gained prominence during the Russia investigation, is also running to flip the seat red. 

On the Democratic side, Cenk Uygur, the co-host of news commentary program “The Young Turks,” has announced that he will run as well. Uygur has already picked up a key endorsement from Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang. 

Primary elections will be held on March 3, 2020 to determine the two candidates on the ballot during the runoff, set for May 12, 2020. Whoever wins the seat will have to defend themselves in the November general election as well.