Representative Maxine Waters has told her Republican opponent in the upcoming midterm elections that he "got tricked" into running against her in a district she's won since 2012.
Republican Omar Navarro shared a video to Twitter on Tuesday of an encounter with Waters at the election filing office as he registered to run in California's 43rd congressional district.
The GOP is hoping to take back the House of Representatives and the Senate in November's elections but Waters, a Democrat, will likely be safely reelected as she won 71.7 percent of the vote in 2020.
Navarro tweeted: "I ran into Maxine Waters at election filling office and saw the preferential treatment she received from county employees."
In the video attached to that tweet, Navarro can be heard greeting Waters. The congresswoman recognized and asked him if he was running again.
Navarro has been a perennial candidate in California's 43rd district, losing to Waters in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
Waters asked if Navarro was running in a different district and he replied: "I was trying to do it in a different district" and Waters asked which district. Navarro explained that he had wanted to run in California's 3rd congressional district.
Navarro had previously declared his intention to run in the 3rd district but later declared he would run in the 43rd district.
I ran into Maxine Waters at election filling office and saw the preferential treatment she received from county employees.
— Omar Navarro (@RealOmarNavarro) February 15, 2022
Help me stand up to her by donating through this link https://t.co/wswpu2eAs4 pic.twitter.com/cCtTCdXPP2
Waters asked him: "You've got a Republican opponent?"
"Well, yeah, there's two Republicans running in the other district," Navarro replied.
"You got tricked," Waters said and appeared to walk off.
The two Republican candidates vying for the party's nomination in the 3rd district are Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.
California's congressional districts have undergone redistricting as a result of the 2020 U.S. Census. The overall number of districts has been reduced from 53 to 52 but Waters appears to be a safe bet for reelection.
Waters has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1991 and has seen a significant amount of redistricting during her tenure. The results of the most recent census do not appear to have significantly altered her position in the 43rd district.
The Democrat won reelection to the House in 2020 with 71.1 percent of the vote, while her Republican opponent Joe Collins won 28.3 percent. Poll tracker FiveThirtyEight gives the 43rd district a partisan lean of plus 63 for the Democrats.
Navarro announced on Twitter on January 11, 2021 that he would run against Waters in the midterms.
"I'm running against Maxine Waters in 2022 and will fight against big tech censorship when elected to Congress," Navarro tweeted. He describes himself as "Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Pro-Trump."
Newsweek has asked Maxine Waters' office and the Omar Navarro campaign for comment.
