Former Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., said she "cried for a few days" following a victory by Republican Mike Garcia in last week's election for the seat she vacated in last year after it was revealed she had a relationship with an aide.
Hill wrote on Twitter:
"So, yeah, it really hurt to have my old seat flip back to Republican-for a ton of people & also for me. In fact, it was pretty f**king devastating. I went offline & cried for a few days but, as always, getting ready to stand back up & keep fighting. Hope you are too."
Hill resigned from her seat in shame after revealing she had an "inappropriate" relationship with a campaign worker.
The House conducted an ethics probe into allegations of Hill having a sexual relationship with a male congressional staffer. Hill denied having that relationship.
Garcia is the first Republican to capture California's 25th congressional district seat since 1998. He defeated Democrat Christy Smith by 12 percentage points to take the seat.
President Donald Trump, who lost the district by 6 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election, endorsed Garcia during the district race as a candidate who is strong on immigration and gun rights.
Smith got support from former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.