Four months ago, the race for Katie Hill’s north Los Angeles County congressional seat looked a lot different.

A former Navy pilot, Michael Garcia, led a small pack of local GOP candidates looking to unseat the 32-year-old Hill, who a year ago had done what was considered unthinkable in this once bastion of conservative Republican support: turned it from red to blue.

Back in July, it was assumed that Hill, and a GOPer would move on from the March 3 primary to the November general election.

Oh, how times have changed, and Monday was no exception, as the scramble to take over the north L.A. County congressional seat vacated by Hill this year got a dose more sizzling. George Papadopoulis, a former aide to President Trump, announced his candidacy for the prized seat.

It wasn’t necessarily new news that Papadopoulis, 32, was interested in jumping in to this race. He’d been telegraphing this day since late last month, when he filed paperwork to run for the 25th District, which spans from Santa Clarita to Simi Valley with a sliver of the San Fernando Valley in between. He does not reside in the district, although that does not disqualify him from running.

Monday was the day to announce that candidacy to a national audience. So, there he was on “Fox & Friends,” touting what he says are his anti-establishment credentials while pushing for a reformed Republican Party in California and lambasting a presidential impeachment process that he called a “sham.”

All in for CA-25. Together, we will take CALIFORNIA back step by step! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Fley7ZWyHt — George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) November 25, 2019

“California is Ronald Reagan’s state. Now, unfortunately the establishment in California is trying to convince California Republicans that we need to evolve as a Republican Party and that we cannot be the same Republican Party as other states,” Papadopoulis said in a campaign news release. “That’s the wrong policy. It’s turned blood red districts in California blue, and it’s going to lead to the Republican Party to its extinction.”

Hill was part of what turned the 25th from red to blue back in November 2018, when she beat Republican incumbent Steve Knight in what would become part of a wave that brought House control back to Democrats.

Hill, a skyrocketing millennial congresswoman, was part of an early freshman force in DC, where she was on a fast track to leadership before scandal forced her to bid a defiant farewell in October.

She resigned amid an ethics committee investigation into whether she had engaged in an affair with a male congressional staffer, which she denied and which would have broken House rules. Hill, who identifies as bisexual, acknowledged having a consensual affair with a female aide on her campaign.

All this while, a conservative outlet published nude photos of Hill with another woman, a development she blamed on what she called an abusive husband and ruthless political operatives.

Her resignation has shaken up what was a pretty predictable race: Hill vs. a to-be-named GOP candidate. Now, it might still be predictable — but its contrasting personalities span the political spectrum.

On the GOP side, there’s Papadopoulis, seemingly tapping into the style of Twitter-like word jabs that Trump uses regularly: “I’m smelling blood in the water now that Katie Hill has resigned,” he tweeted last month, adding candidates like Hill are “… All talk, no action, and a bunch of sell outs.”

I’m smelling blood in the water now that Katie Hill has resigned. California’s 25th congressional district is wide open for the taking. Someone has to step up. I love my state too much to see it run down by candidates like Hill. All talk, no action, and a bunch of sell outs. — George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) October 27, 2019

He was a key figure in the FBI’s Russia probe into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The FBI’s counterintelligence investigation that later became the Mueller probe was triggered, in part, by a tip from an Australian diplomat who had communicated with Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos told the diplomat, Alexander Downer, in May 2016 that Russia had thousands of stolen emails which would be potentially damaging to Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty and served 12 days in federal prison for lying to the FBI.

His lawyers have sought a pardon from the president, though Papadopoulos contends that’s unlikely to happen. His campaign’s press materials for his announcement say he “exposed the worst spying scandal in American history, is running to promote and support an America First Agenda. It’s an issue he firmly believes in and one that he has heard repeatedly when talking with real people who live in the 25th Congressional District.”

But with questionable roots in the district, and in the context of his competition, experts who have been studying the district aren’t convinced his connections to Trump and his agenda will be a panacea.

“I have no doubt that he will have the ability to raise money, and he will draw name recognition in a certain segment,” said CSUN political science Professor Lawrence Becker. “I don’t know much about what he has in terms of local support and roots in the community.”

That hinted a certain skepticism Monday from Becker on the former Trump aide’s ability to mount a successful campaign.

“You’ve basically got three months to build a campaign,” he said, adding it’s a challenge in that period of time to get enough support to make the runoff.

That might be easy in a campaign with a limited number of candidates. But it turn outs, the competition has only ramped up since Hill’s departure.

Steve Knight, whom Hill ousted after two terms representing the area, is running to regain his seat. And the field still includes a bevvy of Republicans who aren’t giving in just because some bigger names are entering.

In addition to Garcia — who said his run is based on “Constitution, capitalism and competition” — there’s nonprofit CEO Suzette Martinez Valladares, who claimed earlier this year Garcia is “bought and paid for” by political elites and failed to vote in most recent elections. There’s Lancaster City Councilwoman Angela Underwood Jacobs and L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Cripe.

The Democrats are fielding a group that includes Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who immediately launched her campaign upon Hill’s departure. Her own 38th California Assembly district covers a familiar swath of territory and support as the congressional seat.

Cenk Uygur, the Turkish-born political commentator, has also entered the race.

Even as the nationally known names jump in, this race might still come down to time spent in the district, roots laid down in the area, and time spent on the campaign trail, Becker said.

And that might give Smith and Knight the edge in the primary, even if bigger names flank them, Becker said. “Both (Smith) and Knight have a bunch of built-in advantages,” Becker said.

And then there’s the general mood of the electorate, which Becker suggested might not be all that different than what it was in 2018.

“I’m not sure the public mood has changed that much since 2018,” he said. “People are still angry about Trump,” he said, noting the district’s trend toward Democrats, which might give Smith an edge, he said.

Here’s who is running for the 25th Congressional District:

David Rudnick,D, businessman, real estate investor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran based in Lancaster

Christy Smith, D, California State Assemblywoman for the 38th District encompassing Simi Valley, northern San Fernando Valley and parts of the Santa Clarita Valley since 2018.

Cenk Uygur, D, Co-founder and host of The Young Turks, a progressive news and opinion YouTube channel. Resident of West L.A.

Mark Cripe, R, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former L.A. County Sheriff’s office sergeant

Mike Garcia, R, Veteran of the U.S. Navy and Raytheon executive

Stephen Knight, R, Former representative of California’s 25th Congressional District whom Hill defeated in 2018. He served in the California State Senate from 2012 to 2014 and the California State Assembly from 2008 to 2012 after sitting on the Palmdale City Council.

George Papadopoulos, R, Former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty and served 12 days in federal prison for lying to the FBI about relations between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.

Staff writer Ariella Plachta contributed to this story.