In California’s 47th congressional district, Rep. Katie Porter is vacating her seat in January — and the race to replace her is expected to be a real nail-biter.
The contest for the Orange County district features Democratic state Sen. Dave Min and former Republican state Assemblymember Scott Baugh, both of whom have previously run against Porter in past races.
Elected to the state Senate in 2020, Min previously taught business law at UC Irvine Law School. In the legislature, he chairs the Committee on Natural Resources and Water and has introduced legislation aimed at banning offshore drilling, protecting wildlife habitats and promoting the use of zero-emission vehicles. He has also advocated for efforts to combat gun violence and domestic abuse.
Last year, Min was convicted of driving under the influence, and independent polling conducted by researchers from USC, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona shows that a recent spate of advertising from Baugh’s campaign highlighting that conviction is working. When asked to list a word or phrase to describe each candidate, the words used most frequently (about 14%) to describe Min were “DUI/Drunk/Drunk driving/Drunk driver.”
Baugh is an attorney who served as in the state Assembly and later chaired the Republican Party of Orange County. A Huntington Beach resident, Baugh is a founding trustee of the Pacifica Christian High School of Orange County.
And he is not without his own legal background: Baugh was indicted in 1996 by an Orange County Grand Jury on charges related to his State Assembly election, later paying civil fines of nearly $48,000.
When asked, in a questionnaire posed by the Orange County Register, which local infrastructure project he would secure federal funds for, Baugh said he would be selective in granting earmarks, specific funds for local projects that can be approved without going through the federal government’s standard spending process.
“If you are looking for a representative in Congress who brings home the most pork, I’m not your guy,” Baugh said. “We have already spent money that belongs to our children and grandchildren,” he said.
Federal spending, Baugh said, is out of control, resulting in increased costs for myriad things, including groceries, gasoline, clothing and school supplies.
“The federal government needs to spend less money, be less political, work together and adopt a long-term investment and spending reduction plan,” he said.
For reasons different from Baugh’s, Porter, a progressive, also opposes earmarks and has chosen not to request federal funding for local projects through that process.
Min, though, said there would be several local infrastructure projects he’d like to fund, but chief among them is addressing “the chronic and growing threat of wildfire that we are facing, both here in the South OC and more broadly across the state.”
He pointed specifically to hardening electric transmission lines and bringing them underground, where appropriate. He also said funding for brush clearing and thinning could alleviate wildfire risk.
As for cost of living, Min said companies found guilty of price gouging and market manipulation should be prosecuted. To lower prices in the long term, he highlighted the need to bring more manufacturing and production back to the U.S.
“Programs such as the CHIPS Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which have sought to bring production lines in key industry sectors back to the U.S. through various incentives and mandates, are good first steps, but we should continue to push more policies like this,” he said.
Baugh, though, pointed to spending by the federal government. He said, “Americans would quickly begin reaping the benefits of the economic predictability of a long-term plan and see the results of a government committed to eliminating its deficit and reducing its debt.”
Republicans recently gained a slight edge in the district, with registered GOP voters outnumbering registered Democrats by 64 people, according to the latest data from the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
That is indicative of just how close the race for the seat is — two years after Porter was able to defeat Baugh in the general election with 51.7% of the vote.
The affluent, coastal district — the only open race in Orange County — is one of 40 seats held by Democrats nationwide that the Republican Party’s campaign arm views as a “prime pick up” opportunity. The Democratic Party has also identified the district as “key to winning a Democratic House majority.”
Republicans have rallied significant support for Baugh in his quest to flip the district. He was included in the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” program, which provides an extra boost to candidates in competitive districts.
On the other side, the Democratic Party added Min to its premier campaign program supporting top-tier candidates.
The Cook Political Report, which provides nonpartisan election analyses, considers the race to “lean Democrat,” favoring Min. But Inside Elections, a newsletter that provides campaign analysis, has it pegged a “toss-up.”
This election cycle is anticipated to be the most expensive federal election in the nation’s history — and this race is certainly contributing to that.
Millions in ads have flooded the airwaves in recent weeks. Recently, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by Speaker Mike Johnson, dumped $2.6 million in the Los Angeles media market to boost Baugh. Meanwhile, the House Majority PAC, backed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, spent nearly $2 million in support of Min.
In terms of the money race, Min has so far outpaced Baugh. Min reported raising $5.7 million through Sept. 30, while Baugh reported raising $3.9 million.
However, Min, who underwent a bruising primary election, has spent about $3 million more than Baugh. As a result, Baugh has significantly more money left to spend, with $2.2 million compared to Min’s $915,805.
Find out more about Baugh and Min — and other candidates on your ballot — with the Register’s Voter Guide. Both candidates were sent questionnaires and in their own words, detailed their plans on various issues, from artificial intelligence to housing and from the U.S. Supreme Court to access to fertility treatments. You can also find what’s on their playlists as they’re on the campaign trail.
