Republicans dominate fundraising in key Orange County House races
Republicans dominated extreme Democrats in key Orange County House races in the second quarter.
“Republicans are off to a strong start in Southern California with candidates who are powerhouse leaders and fundraisers. While extreme Democrats are mired in a race to the Left, Republicans are building the war chests to win in 2024.” – NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
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Who’s winning the money race in Katie Porter’s open congressional district?
Orange County Register
Hanna Kang
Republican Scott Baugh continues to be the top fundraiser in the race for California’s 47th congressional district, bringing in more than $550,000 this campaign finance cycle, according to reports posted this week with the Federal Election Commission.
Over 80% of the former GOP Assembly leader’s more than half a million haul was raised from individual donors. Baugh, who came out on top in the last quarter, is endorsed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy whose leadership PAC this cycle doled out $10,000 to his campaign.
The race for Rep. Katie Porter’s open congressional district features a crowded slate of candidates, among them Baugh, Democratic state Sen. Dave Min, Republican businessman Max Ukropina and Democratic community organizer Joanna Weiss.
“This race looked like it was going to be extremely competitive from the very beginning, and Baugh’s fundraising success makes it even more clear how hard Democrats are going to have to fight if they want to hold onto Porter’s seat,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political messaging at UC Berkeley and USC.
The coastal CA-47, which includes Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, is one of 33 Republican-held or open seats in the country that the national Democratic Party’s campaign arm is eyeing as a “critical battleground” to win a House majority. And Republicans, too, see the seat as a “top target” to pick up in 2024.
Democrats have a slight upper hand in voter registration in the district: 35.6% of voters in the district registered as Democrats, 33.9% as Republicans and 24.5% list no party preference.
Min, D-Irvine, despite being arrested in May on suspicion of driving under the influence, is in the second-best position in terms of cash heading into the third quarter. He raised over $403,000 from April 1 to June 30, with 95% of contributions coming from individual donors.
Min, who raised $521,281 from Jan. 1 to March 31, closed out the most recent reporting period with more than $705,000 cash on hand.
Weiss reported just over $409,000 in donations, although she loaned herself $95,000. Weiss’ loan accounts for more than 30% of all individual contributions she reported this cycle.
In the first quarter, she raised $421,730, with $36,600 coming from a personal loan and contribution to her campaign.
She closed out the most recent reporting period with $634,417 on hand.
Baugh and Min reported they personally contributed $6,600 and $800 to their campaigns this cycle, respectively.
In 2018, Porter became the first Democrat to hold office in what was then the 45th congressional district after she defeated incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters, and last year, Porter ran a tight race against Baugh.
“Historically, this is an area where Republicans are very strong,” Schnur said. “Even though Baugh has been outraised by the two Democrats combined, it’s very clear that he’s going to be able to mount a competitive race against whichever of them survives the primary.”
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The two Republican incumbents in other Orange County-area congressional races have a comfortable lead over their challengers in the money race.
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, raised $1,107,790 this quarter while her challengers, Tustin Unified School District trustee Allyson Damikolas and retired fire captain Joe Kerr, brought in $155,009 and $120,428, respectively, including loans. Kim has over $1.6 million still left to spend, nearly seven times the amount Damikolas and Kerr have remaining in their coffers combined.
And Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach, is the leading incumbent in terms of fundraising — she’s the only member of Orange County’s congressional delegation to have broken $2 million raised for 2024. This quarter, Steel brought in $1,114,799, while Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Bernice Nguyen raised $101,706.
Baugh is the only non-incumbent for a 2024 congressional campaign in Orange County to raise and have $1 million in his coffers. At the close of the latest reporting period, Baugh reported $1,005,695 cash on hand. Min comes second with $705,412.
“There hasn’t been any question that this is going to be a highly competitive campaign between two very well-financed candidates,” Schnur said. “These numbers just remind us exactly how high the stakes are.”