The 47th Congressional District in Orange County belongs to Democrats right now. But with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) running for the U.S. Senate rather than re-election, the race is more of a swing.
That's a worrying idea. Aside from legitimate fears about what could happen to civil rights, basic social services and democracy if the GOP gains more seats in the House of Representatives, the top Republican running for that seat, Scott Baugh, is not Contact the district. The area was once solidly Republican, but has been shifting leftward in recent years and is now a swing district with a mix of views, spanning the coast from Laguna Beach to Seal Beach, as well as Costa Mesa and Irvine.
Baugh is a former state assemblyman who twice unsuccessfully ran for Congress. That included 2022, when he lost to Porter. Her belief that there should be a federal law restricting abortion rights is inconsistent with voters' values and women's rights to autonomy over their own bodies. He opposed the federal Respect for Marriage Act, which became law in 2022 and codified the right of same-sex and interracial couples to marry, and opposes a ban on assault weapons.
He recently said that “wokism” was a greater threat to religious freedom than both world wars; perhaps if he had lived through the Holocaust, he would know better. In the 1990s, he faced federal felony charges for campaign finance violations; They were later reduced to civil violations for which he paid nearly $50,000.
Nine other people are seeking the seat in the March primary, including two locally prominent Democrats: state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Joanna Weiss, an attorney and founder of a social and political action nonprofit. Women for American Values. and Ethics.
Min and Weiss' platforms are similar: They both aim to protect a woman's right to abortion at the federal level and say they are ready to fight climate change, work for immigration reform and push for sensible gun regulation. The difference is in your leadership skills, legislative experience and ability to achieve results and communicate a sense of cooperation.
Min, an affable lawmaker who has written successful bills on the environment and guns, has a clear advantage here. Before his political career, Min was, like Porter (who endorsed his candidacy), a professor at the UC Irvine School of Law. And like Porter, he should be elected to represent District 47.
Min has not introduced as many bills as some of his colleagues during his three years in Sacramento, but he has authored bills on important issues. One bill, now under consideration, would establish a system to phase out oil and gas drilling in state waters. Another, enacted in 2022, prohibits the sale of weapons and ammunition on state-owned land.
There's a sticking point in Min's story, which Weiss is already using in his campaign: He was arrested last May on suspicion of drunk driving in Sacramento and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Min was stopped after stopping at a red light to check for cross traffic, but then drove through the intersection while the light was still red and with his headlights off.
It was not a trivial incident, but it must be admitted that Min never treated it that way. He immediately made a direct public statement about his arrest and apologized. He did not try to make excuses or pretend that the arrest was unfair, exaggerated or an attack on liberalism. He has completed court-ordered community service and says that, although he never had a problem with alcohol, he stopped drinking immediately. Too many political events (that's where he drank before the arrest) are infused with alcohol, he said. He also, of his own volition, entered therapy. More politicians who make serious mistakes should follow his example.
Min inspires confidence that he will not repeat the mistake and that he would be an excellent member of Congress.
