California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has set Aug. 21 as the date for the special election to replace Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), who died April 22 after losing her battle with cancer. [IMGCAP(1)]

The race to replace Millender-McDonald in the overwhelmingly Democratic 37th district could get crowded and contentious, as state legislators facing term-limited careers in Sacramento vie with local elected officials to advance to Washington, D.C. The district is largely made up of Long Beach, a city of more than 400,000 people located in southwestern Los Angeles County.

According to California law, the top finishers for each political party entered in the Aug. 21 contest will advance to a runoff, unless one candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote in the initial round.

— David M. Drucker