Republican Scott Baugh has conceded to Democratic state legislator Dave Min in a heated race to succeed California Rep. Katie Porter, making certain the toss-up Orange County district stays within the Democratic column.
“I used to be trying ahead to working with Democrats, Republicans and @therealdonaldtrump to unravel severe issues like an open border, rising crime, and runaway federal spending,” Baugh stated in an announcement Tuesday evening, “however the voters have spoken and this isn’t what is meant for me.”
Baugh, a two-time candidate, had narrowly misplaced the seat two years in the past to Porter.
Porter’s resolution to run for Senate as an alternative of searching for reelection — which resulted in a middling third-place end within the major — induced vital angst amongst Democrats, who feared that it will be troublesome to carry the seat with out her nationwide profile and fundraising prowess.
Although the Orange County district is not the Republican stronghold it was, Porter solely barely eked out a win in 2022 over Baugh, a former Republican legislator and occasion operative.
Min, of Irvine, survived a bruising major in opposition to fellow Democrat Joanna Weiss, who hammered him for a drunk driving arrest. Within the common election, he touted his endorsement from regulation enforcement teams and portrayed Baugh as near former President Donald Trump.
