WaPo (“Rep. Katie Porter announces run for U.S. Senate in California“):
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday she is running for U.S. Senate in 2024, amid uncertainty over whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will seek a sixth full term that year.
In an email to her supporters, as well as a video posted to her social media accounts, Porter touted her background as a minivan-driving single mom of three better known for her use of a whiteboard in the House than for being a “career politician.”
“I’m running for the U.S. Senate because Californians deserve a warrior fighting for them in Washington,” Porter, 49, wrote. “In the House, I’ve stood up to leaders of both parties — as both the only Democrat to oppose earmarks and as one of just a dozen Members of Congress to reject lobbyist and corporate PAC money.”
Feinstein, 89, last year filed initial paperwork to run for reelection in 2024 but has not explicitly said whether she will seek another term. California’s other senator, Democrat Alex Padilla, 49, won his first full term in November and won’t be up for election again until 2028.
“Everyone is of course welcome to throw their hat in the ring, and I will make an announcement concerning my plans for 2024 at the appropriate time,” Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday. “Right now I’m focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead.”
Feinstein, the oldest sitting senator, has for years waved off questions about her age and ability to serve but has also relinquished a number of key roles in recent years. She stepped down as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee before the 117th Congress.
Last year, Feinstein declined consideration to become president pro tempore of the Senate, a position that traditionally goes to the most senior senator of the party in power and is third in line to the presidency. The role instead went to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Porter, who represents large swaths of Orange County, was first elected to Congress in 2018. After redistricting last year, Porter narrowly won reelection in November — now in California’s 47th Congressional District — by about three percentage points.
The race for Feinstein’s seat, regardless of whether Feinstein runs for reelection, is likely to be a competitive and expensive one. A number of California Democrats are said to be exploring Senate runs, including Reps. Ro Khanna and Adam B. Schiff, who has said he would seriously consider a bid if Feinstein were to retire.
Khanna said that he was focused on the severe storms and floods in California and that he would make a decision “in the next few months.”
A person familiar with Schiff’s thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, said Tuesday that Schiff would determine his own timeline. “It’s not dictated by what Katie Porter does, nor would it ever be,” the person said, also citing the California storms. “I don’t think you announce your next political steps in the middle of a natural disaster where 15 people are already dead and more could come.”
Should Feinstein step down before the end of her term, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would appoint a Black woman to fill the role.
POLITICO (“Katie Porter launches Senate campaign for Feinstein’s seat“) adds:
“California needs a warrior in the Senate — to stand up to special interests, fight the dangerous imbalance in our economy, and hold so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell accountable for rigging our democracy,” Porter (D-Calif.) said in a tweet announcing her candidacy.
[…]
Porter, a three-term congresswoman, is well positioned to run a powerful Senate campaign. The progressive Democrat is a prolific fundraiser, with $7.7 million on hand as of the end of 2022 and $25 million raised in the last cycle.
But even with Porter’s impressive fundraising and ability to appeal to swing voters, the race is expected to be highly competitive — especially given California’s primary system, which could pit two Democrats against each other in the 2024 general election.
Porter’s announcement quickly rippled through California’s broader campaign landscape. Former Assemblymember Scott Baugh, a Republican, said he would seek the seat in 2024 after unsuccessfully challenging Porter in 2022. The lack of an incumbent could boost Republican prospects to flip the battleground Orange County seat.
Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman does not intend to run for Porter’s seat, a representative said. A representative for Democratic state Sen. Dave Min — who finished behind Porter in the 2018 primary — did not respond to a request for comment.
I don’t have enough of a sense of California politics to know how competitive Porter will be against Schiff or Khanna. I must confess that the timing of the announcement, both before giving Feinstein a chance to step down gracefully and in the midst of a natural disaster, seems tacky.
