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The first domino fell in the battle for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) seat on Tuesday as Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) announced her bid for the upper chamber, kicking off what could become a crowded field and raucous race.
Porter, a House member known equally for her whiteboard and tough questions at committee hearings as she is for her prodigious fundraising, became the first prominent Democrat to enter the race. The move is a likely precursor to a number of other high profile California Democrats of many stripes hopping in.
Reps. Adam Schiff, Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee have all been angling to run in what could turn out to be one of the most contentious contests on the 2024 map, even as it could come down to two Democrats.
“I think there’s plenty of people who could look in the mirror and say, ‘Why not me?’ But there’s a million people in the Capitol who think, ‘Why can’t I be the Speaker or governor,’ but it doesn’t always happen like that,” said Andrew Acosta, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist.
“Democratic Party politics in California is party politics on steroids.”
In her announcement, Porter, a progressive protegee of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), pitched herself as the “warrior” the state needs in the Senate.
“It’s time for new leadership in the U.S. Senate. … California needs a warrior in Washington,” Porter said. “That’s exactly why I’m announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate in 2024.”
The California congresswoman narrowly nabbed a third term in office in November, defeating Republican Scott Baugh by more than three percentage points in her Orange County district. However, she did so behind a fundraising juggernaut as she raked in nearly $26 million during the cycle.
