SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — The keys to understanding the 25th Congressional District revolves around its size and complexity.

The 25th is home to around 716,000 people.

It stretches more than 45 miles from Simi Valley in Southeastern Ventura County through Northeastern LA County and includes Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and part of Lancaster.

"Most of the politics of the 25th revolve around Santa Clarita and Palmdale," said Herb Gooch, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at Cal Lutheran University.

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My journey started with a trip up the 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway to Palmdale in the high desert. 

There I met Sarah Luker, who owns the Transplants Brewing Company with her husband Matt.   

"We’re not a dive bar, and we’re not a chain restaurant, and there’s a lot of that up here. So, we’re just a place where people can hang out and be themselves and not be bothered," Luker said.

The brewery also has its own art director, who’s responsible for most of the artwork on the walls and the logos. Luker says former representative Katie Hill even stopped by on the campaign trail.

"She’s very, very nice and supportive of the business and came here for rallies and stuff like that because she’s semi local," she said.

Luker knows this is a district with some very different tastes and says the right leader must be up to the challenge. 

"Whether they’re Republican or Democrat is irrelevant to me," she said. "We have a homeless issue up here. [I want] somebody that’s going to try to do something to help work with that and help get these people the help they need."

Less than 10 miles up the road in Lancaster, Steve Baker with Grace Resources helps about 10,000 people a month with groceries.

"We do six or seven hot meals a week," said Baker, who deals with that issue daily as executive director of Grace Resources, which has been serving the homeless and low-income residents for almost 30 years. "We’re grateful for what we get but right now, the only government funds that we get are from the county of Los Angeles."

The Antelope Valley is known as the aerospace corridor, and military spending is a big part of what drives the local economy. As a Navy vet, Baker wants to make sure the next leader protects that.

"This whole valley exists because of Edwards Air Force Base and Plant 42," he said.

It plays into the average median household income in the district of about $82,000—about 10 percent higher than California.

"I want to see a congressional person that has a heart for the people, a heart for the Antelope Valley as a whole, but also has their thumb on the pulse of what’s going on with our aviation, aerospace businesses," Baker said.

It’s why Palmdale and Lancaster are historically the most conservative parts of the district. Baker plans to back former 25th District Republican Representative Steve Knight.

From there, I drove 70 miles west to the opposite end of the district—Simi Valley. The area is largely suburban. In fact, close to 80 percent of housing in the district is made up of single family units. At a local restaurant, I met with John Lapper, member of the Simi Valley Democratic Club.

"It was really upsetting and I mean, it was just shockwaves," Lapper said.

He helped get Katie Hill elected in 2018 when she became the first Democrat to lead the district in more than 25 years.

"She was young and exciting and vibrant and she hooked up with Nancy Pelosi, so we had a voice," he said.

He’s now throwing his support behind California Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who was recently elected to the office.

"I think she will win, and I think people will be so pleased," Lapper said.

"Her district roughly runs over half of the Congressional 25th District," Gooch said.

He and other political experts say that could give the Democrat an advantage over her opponents. 

"Canyon Country has historically had a Republican and conservative advantage, but that’s been eroded in recent years because of the population growth," Gooch said.

Much of that growth is attributed to more minorities flocking to the area in search of affordable housing and as they change the political landscape, the district’s future lies beyond the horizon.