Another banking progressive could replace Katie Porter in House

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who’s been a thorn in the side of banks since she took office in 2019, is not running for reelection after mounting an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

The race to succeed her pits Democrat Dave Min, a former policy director at the liberal Center for American Progress, against Republican Scott Baugh.

Min, who once worked as an aide for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has a notable background in banking and housing policy. During the foreclosure crisis that followed the housing bubble of the early 2000s, he was a prominent voice in debates about reforming the mortgage finance system. He’s also been critical of past Republican efforts to roll back key parts of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Back in 2018, Min and Porter were faculty colleagues at the University of California Irvine School of Law when they faced off in a hard-fought race in California’s 47th congressional district. After Porter prevailed, Min was elected to the state Senate, where he served two terms.

Min’s race against Baugh — who got 48% of the vote when he ran against Porter in 2022 — has been highly competitive. The district includes some of the wealthier parts of Orange County — not only the city of Irvine, where Asian Americans make up a plurality of the population, but also more traditionally Republican areas along the coast, including Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach.

In recent election cycles, it’s often been days or even weeks before tight congressional races in California have been decided. Two years ago, the race between Porter and Baugh was called nine days after the polls closed.