The progressive representative, who has repeatedly won a swing district in a historically Republican region, is running for Senate.
Rep. Katie Porter of California wasn’t subtle about how many f*cks she gives that her state’s senior senator hasn’t yet announced her plans for 2024. The progressive Congress member from Orange County announced her candidacy for Senate Tuesday morning, kick-starting what will become a crowded, intense, and extremely expensive campaign to represent California in 2025.
Her candidacy was expected. She is one of the most visible figures from California in liberal and progressive political circles, making a name for herself with viral moments interrogating banking executives, and she’s been winning competitive seats in California’s historic conservative heartland of Orange County by thin margins since 2018’s blue wave.
But she made her announcement before California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the longest-serving member of the Senate, said anything about her plans for 2024. Feinstein, who won her seat in 1992, is now 89, and she is widely expected to retire.
“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. “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.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, a fellow progressive Congress member who is mulling a Senate run, reacted to Porter’s announcement by citing, too, the historic storms and flooding hitting the West Coast, telling NBC News that “my district is facing historic weather conditions. My focus is on that. In the next few months, I will make a decision.”
Porter’s early announcement is a show of strength against possible challengers, like Khanna, Rep. Adam Schiff, and Rep. Barbara Lee (who have been running shadow campaigns to try to shore up support before going public), but it isn’t likely to clear the field.
