Nov 15, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Young Turks' founder Cenk Uygur running to fill ex-Rep. Katie Hill's seat

Fadel Allassan

Cenk Uygur, founder of the liberal news site The Young Turks, announced he is running to replace Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), in a tweet Thursday night.

The state of play: Uygur is also running against former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos — who, in 2017, pled guilty to making false statements to the FBI about Russian contacts. The seat's previous holder Rep. Steve Knight (R), who Hill defeated in 2018, is running again as well.

Flashback: Hill resigned from Congress in October following a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations she had an improper relationship with a staffer. She has denied the claims.

What he's saying: "I'm going to represent those people in a way they have not seen before. I will not be a standard politician," Uygur said in a livestream of his web show ... I'm going to fight to get money of politics, and I'm going to call it like it is."

Reality check: Uygur tweeted that his campaign has already surpassed $100,000 in donations on Thursday night.

What's next: The special election for Hill's 25th Congressional District seat will take place on March 3.

Go deeper: Katie Hill feared for her life after allegations of improper staff relationship

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Young Turks' founder Cenk Uygur running to fill ex-Rep. Katie Hill's seat

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