Dave Min Will Be Democrat Battling To Hold Katie Porter’s Seat

LOS ANGELES — State Sen. Dave Min, who withstood millions of dollars of attack ads in a bitter battle for Rep. Katie Porter’s Orange County House seat, will advance to the November general election after his Democratic opponent, Joanna Weiss, conceded Wednesday night.

He’ll face off with Republican Scott Baugh, a longtime GOP official in the area who came close to beating Porter in the swing district two years ago.

Min beat fellow Democrat Weiss, a political activist and first-time candidate. Weiss, on social media, said she called Min "and pledged to do all I can to keep [California's 47th district] blue."

The two candidates offered competing visions on the path to victory in Orange County, the one-time conservative bastion that now teeters between red and blue. Min argued that as a Korean American candidate he was best positioned to appeal to Asian American voters, who make up 20 percent of the district, while Weiss said she would better mobilize suburban women who have been key to Democratic victories since the Trump presidency.

But the campaign largely turned on acrimonious personal attacks and a deluge of outside money. Weiss hammered Min on his drunk driving arrest last spring. Coming to her aid was EMILYs List, a group that backs women candidates who support abortion rights, as well as the American Israel Political Affairs Committee. The pro-Israel group’s super PAC spent at least $4.7 million against Min for reasons that remain somewhat inscrutable, since Min was not a vocal critic of Israel in public.

Min, for his part, got outside help from SEIU California, a major labor power player, and won the endorsement of the state Democratic party. He was also backed by Porter, who beat him in a hard-fought primary in 2018.

The general election matchup between Min and Baugh is poised to be one of the marquee races in the country. It is one of the few contests in California where Democrats will be playing defense in a toss-up seat.