WooHoo*!

January 10, 2023 8:59 AM

Katie Porter is running for Senate. (*to the tune of Song 2)

Rep. Katie Porter announces run for U.S. Senate in California (Washington Post)

Progressive Rep. Katie Porter launches bid for Feinstein's California Senate seat (CNN)

Rep. Katie Porter announces 2024 Senate Bid (Axios)

Katie Porter reading a book during the GOP's House speaker fight is all of us.

Feinstein in 2021 filed initial paperwork to run for reelection, but it was more of a formality, rather than an official announcement (SFGATE)

posted by ishmael (45 comments total)

That would explain all the "Katie Porter is running for Senate" emails that just showed up in my inbox.
posted by mittens at 9:00 AM on January 10, 2023 [15 favorites]

Thank you for your service, Dianne. Bye.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:01 AM on January 10, 2023 [30 favorites]

Interesting news, I'm a fan of Porter's. She was first elected in 2020 with 53.5% of the vote. She won a squeaker in 2022 with 51.6% of the vote. Wouldn't take that as evidence of momentum; the district had been redrawn and in general California Democrats did worse that year. Her win in 2020 was a bit of a surprise, it's a competitive district in Orange County.

In general California Democratic politics seems run like a machine. The whole Newsom / Harris / Padilla arrangement was negotiated years ago, for instance. Porter feels outside that to me. Also looks like it's going to be a wild primary: LA Times reports "In addition to Porter, other potential Senate candidates include Reps. Adam Schiff of Burbank, Barbara Lee of Oakland, Ro Khanna of Fremont and Eric Swalwell of Dublin, as well as Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf."

I think announcing first is smart, particularly after the little media bump from the book stunt. I wonder if she talked to Feinstein before announcing as a gesture of politeness? Or just announced. Won't really matter but I like my gossip.
posted by Nelson at 9:03 AM on January 10, 2023 [18 favorites]

This feels dire for the prospects of CA-47, but I'm so relieved at the thought of getting rid of Feinstein that I don't even care. (I also think Katie Porter would be a good senator! But mostly there's just the relief.)
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:05 AM on January 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

The Whiteboard Wielder versus the dumb bozos in the Senate? Yeah, I know who my money would be on if I was going to bet.
posted by mephron at 9:24 AM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

I like Katie, but I'm not sure how this will go with the current incumbents (one in particular).
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:45 AM on January 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

I was working on a post about this, so here it is, many of the same links and all:

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), last seen not giving a f***, has announced that she'll be running for Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)'s Senate seat. Feinstein hasn't indicated whether she'll run again in 2024.
posted by box at 9:50 AM on January 10, 2023 [11 favorites]

"Porter, 48, has drawn attention for viral videos that feature her sharp questioning of witnesses testifying before Congress. The former law school professor is often seen with a dry-erase board that she uses to list digestible facts and figures to outline her point."(NBC, Jan. 10, 2023)

Prev: Rep. Katie Porter's Whiteboard Will Dry Erase Your Dignity (Elle, Oct. 1, 2020)
I'm Representative Katie Porter's Whiteboard, and My Girl and I Are About to Kick Your Ass (McSweeney's, March 12, 2020)
Porter Grills Postmaster DeJoy (Buzzfeed, Aug. 24, 2020)

Also, I got my wish!
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:53 AM on January 10, 2023 [12 favorites]

Hell yeah!
posted by digibri at 9:54 AM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Feinstein is 89 and barely lucid. She shouldn't have even run in 2018. She'll be three weeks short of 91 on the day of the CA primary in 2024 and will be sworn in at age 92 if she wins. I don't know how she can commit to a full term at that age, little alone her condition. I can only assume at this point it's her chief of staff doing a "Weekend at Bernie's" thing to keep his influence in DC.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 10:00 AM on January 10, 2023 [16 favorites]

I think announcing first is smart, particularly after the little media bump from the book stunt.

This is a clear-the-field maneuver that I'm a little surprised someone else didn't do first. If you don't have the guts to declare on November 9th (especially being 90% certain that your party is in the minority in the House so you won't have anything else to do), you deserve to get swept out early.
posted by Etrigan at 10:19 AM on January 10, 2023 [7 favorites]

I'm a huge Katie fan and she would have my vote, but it says something encouraging about California's Democratic Party that I'd gladly support at least three of the people listed as contenders.
posted by martin q blank at 10:42 AM on January 10, 2023 [18 favorites]

It could at least help clear the field of Feinstein, who can and should take this opportunity to bow out gracefully as she should have years ago.

I like Katie Porter and I always want to see more politicians who could imagine the struggles and concerns of my life. For all her years of impressive maneuvering and leadership, I don't feel that way about Nancy Pelosi, for example. Or Chuck Schumer. I remember getting excited just hearing Stacey Abrams speak knowledgeably and currently about Star Trek.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:52 AM on January 10, 2023 [17 favorites]

as well as Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell

Holly has a safe and incredibly powerful seat she can sit in for years without any real competition - let's hope she stays put, LA has enough local political races to deal with.
posted by grimace636 at 10:52 AM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I can only assume at this point it's her chief of staff doing a "Weekend at Bernie's" thing

I like to speak more respectfully about Feinstein's service as a senator. But yeah, it seems very unlikely she is mentally able to do the job now, much less for another six years. There was a kerfuffle in April/May 2022 about her competence. Various unnamed political people shared their concerns. There were several followup stories.

The problem is Feinstein hasn't said anything about her 2024 plans. She is a highly respected figure in California politics. No mainstream Democrat will challenge her directly. It's still a bit early for 2024 primaries but not that early. I wonder if other likely candidates are waiting politely for Feinstein to officially step down. Maybe Porter just doesn't have time or patience for that. I like Rep Porter's political stance, not putting up with bullshit and backing that up with deep knowledge and understanding. I'd like to see her run that way for Senate but in a state where the Democrats are as clubby as they are it may work against her.
posted by Nelson at 11:14 AM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]

I hope Schiff gets it.
posted by kickingtheground at 11:58 AM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

People like Feinstein, Grassley, Inhofe (and Biden, honestly) don’t need to be personally competent, they are just the focal points for a network of corporate interests that they have spent generations developing.
posted by Jon_Evil at 12:01 PM on January 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

Yeah, my take is that feinstein is basically being piloted by a staff that's happy to have all the influence and networking of a senator without the same degree of oversight. They all essentially have legacy jobs with deep networks in the senate and don't want to give that up.
posted by Ferreous at 12:14 PM on January 10, 2023 [5 favorites]

potential Senate candidates include Reps. Adam Schiff of Burbank,

It's (already) been pointed out in various places that Schiff has been around long enough that he's a Major Power on the Dem side of the House & in California - giving that up for the junior Senator position could well be a step down that he's not interested in taking.
posted by soundguy99 at 12:26 PM on January 10, 2023 [10 favorites]

giving that up for the junior Senator position could well be a step down that he's not interested in taking.

When's the last time we elected a member of the House to the Presidency though?
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 1:18 PM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'll buy a mug
posted by Going To Maine at 1:21 PM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

When's the last time we elected a member of the House to the Presidency though?

McKinley!
I love Metafilter trivia night.
posted by matt_od at 1:23 PM on January 10, 2023 [33 favorites]

Arghhh her house seat, but yay to replacing Feinstein, who doesn't seem to want to fight hard anymore (if she ever did).
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:41 PM on January 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

I think with Katie Porter announcing, and Schiff indicating he will run, the Dem machine in California has given them the go-ahead. If it hasn't, we'll read reports about that in the coming days.
posted by drossdragon at 2:57 PM on January 10, 2023

Early days still, of course, and I'll have a lot more research to do, but of the possible contenders Nelson mentions above, Katie Porter is the only one I really feel excited about (which, given my track record with these kinds of things, likely means she wont get it). I'll definitely be sending what little I can afford her way.
posted by AwkwardPause at 3:46 PM on January 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

Feinstein, who doesn't seem to want to fight hard anymore(if she ever did).

DiFei probably should've retired by now, but in her time she was a lion of the Senate who, among other things, wrote the 1994 assault weapons ban, worked to raise fuel economy standards, and conserved millions of acres of public lands, creating two national parks.

(Or, if you want to be more what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, she did this.)

She didn't have all the best positions, and she was seldom as far left as I, or for that matter her old constituents in San Francisco, wanted her to be. She was the first woman to do a long list of things in American politics, and she has a long list of accomplishments legislative and otherwise.

(Why do I feel like I'm eulogizing someone who is very much alive and who I very much hope does not run again in 2024? This feels kind of weird.)
posted by box at 3:50 PM on January 10, 2023 [18 favorites]

When's the last time we elected a member of the House to the Presidency though?

McKinley!

Hmmmm... McKinley's term in the House ended in 1891, after which he served as Governor of Ohio from 1892 to 1896 before winning the 1896 presidential election. Since then, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Sr. were former Reps who later became president. LBJ and Ford of course became president by vice-presidential succession, LBJ being (re)elected in his own right, whereas Ford lost to Carter. I guess it depends on how you frame the question, but the last (and only) sitting Representative to be elected president was Garfield in 1880.
posted by hangashore at 5:04 PM on January 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

Also known for being the first President to serve lasagna in the White House.

Hated Mondays, loved lasagna, President James A. Garfield.
posted by box at 5:31 PM on January 10, 2023 [11 favorites]

> Since then, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Sr. were former Reps who later became president.

Kennedy, LBJ, and Nixon were all Senators after they were Congressmen. Ford doesn't even belong on this list. Bush Sr. was President after being Vice President, as also were LBJ and Nixon (after they were Senators, even).

So no, none of those count as "straight from Representative of Congressional District to President." Or are even close.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:28 PM on January 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

I would love to see DiFi cease to be a Senator. I am less enthused about Porter than the modal commenter here.

Bragging about opposing earmarks is not smart. Earmarks are not bad. Earmarks are part of the logrolling that a functional legislature needs. D's succumbing to R rhetoric about earmarks is Yet Another example of losing a battle by letting the enemy define the terms.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:30 PM on January 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

"Katie doesn’t take a cent from federal lobbyists or corporate PACs" per the Katie Porter for Senate ActBlue page; list of contribution rules, with the familiar first five:
1. I am a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (i.e., green card holder).
2. This contribution is made from my own funds, and funds are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution.
3. I am at least eighteen years old.
4. I am not a federal contractor.
5. I am making this contribution with my own personal credit card and not with a corporate or business credit card or a card issued to another person.
6. I am not an executive of a large pharmaceutical company.
7. I am not an executive of a big bank.
8. I am not an executive of a big oil or fossil fuel company.
9. I am not a federally registered lobbyist.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:02 PM on January 10, 2023 [10 favorites]

So no, none of those count as "straight from Representative of Congressional District to President." Or are even close.

Yes, I know this and I agree. Which is what they have in common with McKinley, who by serving as Governor of Ohio after his time in Congress, also doesn't count as "straight from Representative of Congressional District to President." Which is why Garfield, not McKinley, would be the answer to the question "When's the last time we elected a member of the House to the Presidency though?" Unless the question actually means "When's the last time we elected a member of the House (who didn't subsequently hold higher office at the federal level) to the Presidency though?" In any case, Adam Schiff (whose theoretical senatorial ambitions appear to have prompted the question here) is totally bossing it in the Reps and I hope he stays where he is.
posted by hangashore at 8:43 PM on January 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

Aardvark, I understand the importance of earmarks in congressional dealmaking, but I don't think that kinds of dealmaking really functions in today's environment. and even in the best of times they were prone to corruption and wasteful spending. I don't think that is a Republican talking point. Entrenched interests from both parties like them and I think I benefits Porter to oppose them, along with congressional stock trading and other "legacy" congressional practices.

I voted again Feinstein in 2018. I had a long conversation with my father in law who went on an on about the benefits of seniority in the senate on why he supported her. I can't say KDL's recent perforce in LA would have been good in the senate, but at least he would be aware where he was.
posted by CostcoCultist at 10:08 PM on January 10, 2023 [6 favorites]

"Katie doesn’t take a cent from federal lobbyists or corporate PACs" per the Katie Porter for Senate ActBlue page; list of contribution rules, with the familiar first five:
1. I am a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (i.e., green card holder).
2. This contribution is made from my own funds, and funds are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution.
3. I am at least eighteen years old.
4. I am not a federal contractor.
...

Well she doesn't want my money, because I'm a private salaryman doing the job of a Civil Servant thanks to Bill Clinton's attempt to take seriously the Republican complaint that there's just too damn many Gummit Byoorohkrats.

This is a grandstanding stupid purity test, not an anticorruption effort.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:46 AM on January 11, 2023

This is a grandstanding stupid purity test, not an anticorruption effort.

Perhaps so, but A) it's not Porter's idea, it's actual law, and B) they don't mean you (if you're an employee of a contractor):

A person who enters into a contract, or is bidding on such a contract, with any agency or department of the United States government and is paid, or is to be paid, for services, material, equipment, supplies, land or buildings with funds appropriated by Congress.

posted by Etrigan at 7:00 AM on January 11, 2023 [12 favorites]

On MSNBC last night: Exclusive: Rep. Katie Porter explains her decision to run for Senate. Interview with her. Honestly not very interesting, she's in full politician speak mode.

There's a statement from Feinstein yesterday morning I'd missed

Everyone is of course welcome to throw their hat in the ring, and I will make an announcement concerning my plans for 2024 at the appropriate time. Right now I’m focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead.

Seems a little harsh! Anyway that answers my question about Porter and Feinstein; Porter must have gone her own way. Good for her! (Porter responds to this quote on MSNBC and manages to embrace it in a way that is both respectful of Feinstein and yet advances Porter's candidacy.)

This "Katie shouldn't have announced during a rainstorm" thing is apparently a talking point: Feinstein's statement, someone close to Schiff, and MSNBC. Hand-wringing nonsense from scolds.

Vox has some good color commentary on the announcement. They link to a December 2022 Politico piece: The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein which talks about some of the presumed candidates, the delicate situation with Feinstein, and the state of the race so far.
posted by Nelson at 7:37 AM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]

Schiff is good, but he is 62.

That’s a good 62!
posted by Going To Maine at 11:31 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Rep. Barbara Lee tells colleagues she intends to run for Senate in Calif. And it hasn't even stopped raining yet! OTOH I guess it's not quite official

Asked later about her plans, Lee told The Washington Post: “There’s a time to talk about and that’s what I said, you know, I’ll talk about the Senate race once the timing is right. And that’s what I’m going to do, once the time is right.” She expressed respect for Feinstein and noted the ongoing flooding in her district.

posted by Nelson at 4:35 PM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

^Lee’s remarks did not amount to a formal announcement, said this person, who added that Lee is “getting her ducks in a row and figuring things out” and has spoken to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) about her intentions.

Did Feinstein do something really egregious last week, spurring two candidates, or did a flunkie reach out to Lee (age 76, btw) after Porter's announcement?

Also at the WaPo link in Nelson's comment: Should Feinstein, 89, step down before the end of her term, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would appoint a Black woman to fill the seat.

Yes, he did -- in March 2021, facing recall (and after appointing Padilla to Harris's seat).
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:16 PM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Barbara Lee is awesome. I have voted for her at every opportunity. That she may run for Senate distresses me. There is no way this particular old fart is voting for another old fart for Senator. I think it is simple pragmatism to push for younger progressives to run for the Senate. Porter won’t be perfect because no one is. She will be a huge improvement over the Feinstein who is serving today.
posted by Bella Donna at 8:59 AM on January 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

It certainly feels like the democratic machine in Cali is circling the wagons trying to lock out Porter. I have a hard time seeing the unified response to Porter's announcement and the announcement from Lee as being an attempt in party to keep the seat in the section of the party that's well entrenched.

This isn't to say Lee is a bad candidate in terms of policy by any means, but she's much older and would either have no time to accumulate seniority in the senate or would be extremely old at the point she would be able to do so. Feinstein stuck around so long all the people waiting in the wings for a generation aiming to succeed her have aged to the point where they're geriatric themselves.
posted by Ferreous at 10:23 AM on January 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

(Liz Warren has backed Katie Porter, who is apparently a former student of hers.)
posted by Going To Maine at 10:31 AM on January 12, 2023 [7 favorites]

Or: Feinstein is finally stepping down, and handing the seat to Lee via Newsom appointment; unbeknownst to DF, Lee has no intention of running in 2024 at age 78, but will back Porter's bid. Maybe that's part of Porter's orange book/orange dress photo op, and her formal announcement -- people DF likes/listen to decried it as insensitively timed. Subterfuge as the only feasible way to get a strong, young-ish Democrat in this key position in 2024 is ridiculous, of course.

Lee is awesome; here she is last July, getting arrested with 16 other Democratic members of Congress protesting the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (This act of civil disobedience incidentally let Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who wanted Lee, not Pelosi, for Speaker, strike "getting arrested with Barbara Lee" from her bucket list.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:43 AM on January 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

GTM, Porter was a consumer-law student of Warren's; she was also Warren's rec when AG Harris came knocking:

... in 2012, then-Attorney General of California Kamala Harris secured a settlement of $18 billion from our country’s biggest banks for their predatory lending practices that spurred the 2008 housing crisis. She asked if I knew anyone who could work as an “independent monitor” to make sure the Big Banks actually paid California families the money they were now owed. It was a massive undertaking, but I knew just the person for the job: my former student Katie Porter. She served as a watchdog over Wall Street banks and held their feet to the fire to ensure California families received the billions they were owed. -- Warren's email from the Porter campaign, subject line: "My friend, colleague, and former student Katie Porter." In it, there's a nice photo, "Katherine Porter (l) poses with her 2001 Medal of Excellence with Prof. Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School."

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the appointment of Professor Katherine Porter of the University of California, Irvine School of Law as the California monitor of the commitment by the nation’s five largest banks to perform as much as $18 billion worth of homeowner and borrower benefits in the state. (OAG.CA.gov, March 16, 2012) Katherine Porter is a Professor at University of California, Irvine School of Law. She specializes in commercial and consumer law, including mortgage foreclosures and bankruptcy, and just released a book, Broke: How Debt Bankrupts the Middle Class. In 2007, Porter authored an empirical study that offered some of the first systemic evidence of the problems in mortgage servicing that harmed homeowners. She has worked with other government entities, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, on issues relating to mortgage servicing.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:43 PM on January 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

I voted again Feinstein in 2018. I had a long conversation with my father in law who went on an on about the benefits of seniority in the senate on why he supported her. I can't say KDL's recent perforce in LA would have been good in the senate, but at least he would be aware where he was.

That's a charitable way to acknowledge that KDL turned out to be a racist scumbag doing racist scumbag things and disgracing the city of L.A. I want Feinstein replaced with someone more progressive but it's a good thing KDL lost, he has no business being anywhere near the Senate nor, at this point, the LA city council.
posted by Justinian at 4:52 PM on January 12, 2023 [7 favorites]