California Congresswoman Katie Porter Announces Run For U.S. Senate In 2024

Ted Johnson
·2 min read
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Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) announced on Tuesday that she is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Porter, who has gained a media profile for her hard-hitting questioning of House committee witnesses, while often using a whiteboard to explain complicated topics, is seeking the seat currently occupied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Feinstein, 89, who has served in the Senate since 1992, has not yet revealed her plans, but there has been widespread speculation that she will not run again.

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“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 in an announcement video she posted on Twitter.

Porter served on the natural resources and oversight and reform committees in the last Congress. She chaired the natural resources subcommittee on oversight and investigations. She was elected to Congress in 2018, and narrowly won her Orange County seat in the most recent cycle. Last week, she drew attention during the protracted, four-day vote for the next House speaker, as she was spotted reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F–k during Friday’s proceedings.

A crowded field of candidates are expected to seek the seat if Feinstein retires. Porter’s campaign released a report showing her all but tied with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), another prospective candidate, in next March’s primary. Farther behind are Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). The report was based on a Public Opinion Research survey.

California has an open primary, meaning that the top two vote getters will advance to the general election. That raises the likelihood that two Democrats will face off against each other in November, 2024, as happened in the Senate races in 2018 and 2016.

In a statement, Feinstein said, “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, the longest serving Democrat currently in the Senate, recently bypassed the role of president pro tem, vacant after the retirement of Patrick Leahy. Instead, that role went to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).

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