Democrat drops his endorsement of GOP’s Knight in congressional race

Adding to events that have buffeted state Sen. Stephen Knight’s campaign for Congress in recent days, the former rival Democrat who had endorsed him pulled his support on Thursday.

Lee Rogers finished third in the June primary behind former state legislator Tony Strickland and Knight, of Palmdale, leaving the two Republicans to compete this fall to succeed retiring Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita).

Under the state’s top-two election system, only the first- and second-place primary finishers, regardless of party affiliation, can advance to the general election. And Rogers, a podiatrist who had challenged McKeon in 2012, threw his support to Knight soon after the spring election. He said that Knight was “honest” and had “integrity.”

But on Thursday Rogers said “recent actions” caused him to change his mind.

“I consider Steve a friend,” Rogers said in a statement, “but I’m just appalled at what appears to be his tone-deafness in regard to what our neighbors find appropriate.”

He cited Knight’s recent vote against a ban on the sale of Confederate flag paraphernalia on state property and his “rigid stance” against abortion. But the “final straw,” he told the Los Angeles Times, was Knight’s alliance with Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), arguably the Legislature’s most outspoken and controversial conservative.

Earlier this week, Donnelly announced that he would be walking precincts for Knight this weekend in Santa Clarita and invited other Knight supporters to join him. That touched off a firestorm among moderates and Democrats, who will help choose the next congressman in the 25th congressional district.

The district, once solidly Republican, has been changing in registration and voting patterns in recent years and most observers expect that McKeon’s successor will need more than GOP voters to win on Nov. 4.

Knight initially embraced Donnelly’s support, touting his endorsement on his campaign website. But on Wednesday he said the precinct walk announcement grew from a miscommunication between his campaign and Donnelly.

“I told him, ‘You’re not walking,’” Knight told The Times. Donnelly did not return a call seeking comment.

The Strickland campaign was quick to jump on the Donnelly incident, urging Knight on Wednesday to “cancel the appearance of such a divisive, out-of-the-mainstream figure as Donnelly.”

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