Democratic state Sen. Dave Min launched his campaign on Wednesday for California’s 47th Congressional District with an endorsement from Rep. Katie Porter, a onetime opponent who is leaving this competitive Orange County district to run for the Senate. Min, who is the only Korean American in the legislature, kicked off his bid to succeed Porter by highlighting that this constituency is home to “one of the highest percentages of Asian and Pacific Islander voters in the country at 19%.”
Min and Porter were the main challengers in the 2018 top-two primary to take on Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the old 45th District, a contest that took place at a time when the two Democrats were also both UC Irvine law professors. Porter ended up edging out Min 20-18 for the second general election spot, and she went on to unseat Walters that fall.
In 2020, though, Min scored a 51-49 upset over Republican state Sen. John Moorlach in the 37th State Senate District, a historically red legislative seat where Moorlach had easily prevailed four years before. Min’s current constituency is home to close to 85% of the denizens of the 47th Congressional District, which gives him a strong geographic base in the contest to succeed Porter.
Min joins a top-two primary that includes one fellow Democrat, former Rep. Harley Rouda, who won the old 48th District in 2018 but lost it to Republican Michelle Steel in 2020: About 60% of Porter’s current constituents live within the boundaries of Rouda’s old seat. The one major Republican in the running is Scott Baugh, a former county party chair who lost to Porter 52-48 last year.
Joe Biden carried this seat, which includes the longtime GOP bastions of coastal Orange County as well as Irvine, 54-43, but this historically red area contains plenty of voters who are open to backing Republicans who aren’t named Donald Trump. Things could also get complicated if another prominent Republican runs in next year’s top-two primary, a scenario that could leave both parties scrambling to make sure they have a candidate in the general election.