California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has set the special election date to replace former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill, likely complicating the Republican effort to flip the 25th District.

Newsom set the special election primary for March 3, the same date as the Golden State’s presidential and congressional primaries. Candidates from both parties run on the same ballot. For the special election, if one candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote, he or she wins the race outright. If no one gets above 50 percent, the top two would advance to a May 12 election.

The March 3 date was expected but could be bad news for Republicans, because Californians are expecting high Democratic turnout for the contested presidential primary. Hill flipped the longtime Republican 25th District, which is north of Los Angeles, last fall, defeating GOP Rep. Steve Knight by 7 points.

The special election would be for the remainder of Hill’s term, which runs until January 2021. Voters on March 3 would also hold a primary for the regular two-year term that begins in 2021. The top two vote-getters in that election would face off next November.