Southern California Rep. Katie Porter launches a U.S. Senate bid
Rep. Katie Porter recently won reelection to her congressional seat after a tough battle against a former state Assemblymember.
Rep. Katie Porter is running for U.S. Senate in 2024.
The Orange County Democrat announced her campaign on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Sen. Diane Feinstein, 89, has not yet said what her plans are for 2024, although she is expected to retire.
“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 said on social media.
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.
Today, I'm proud to announce my candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024. pic.twitter.com/X1CSE8T12B
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) January 10, 2023
Porter, 49, recently won reelection to the 47th District, a coastal area that includes Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and part of Huntington Beach, a tough battle against former state Assemblymember Scott Baugh, a Republican.
Porter is a former UC Irvine law professor who has become a leading Democratic voice in the House since she was first elected in 2018. In Congress, she sits on the Natural Resources and Oversight and Reform committees and she’s a member of a bevy of caucuses.
Her campaign video features her famous whiteboards, which she’s used during congressional hearings. She says “it’s time for new leadership” in the U.S. Senate.
Shortly after her announcement, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, an organization that supports progressive Democrats, said it is backing Porter in her Senate bid.
“Katie is the type of progressive champion Californians need fighting for working families in the Senate. It’s time to send her — and her whiteboard — to the Senate,” the group said.
Feinstein is the oldest U.S. senator currently serving, having held her seat since 1992. The former San Fransisco mayor has been the top Democrat on the powerful Judiciary Committee and chaired both the Rules and Intelligence committees.
Questions about whether Feinstein will retire aren’t new, but speculation picked up in 2022 after the death of her husband, Richard Blum, in February after a long bout with cancer. Questions from insiders about her effectiveness and memory have also been raised.