Democrat Dave Min, Republican Scott Baugh face off for Rep. Katie Porter's Orange County congressional seat
Democratic state Sen. Dave Min and Republican Scott Baugh are vying for Rep. Katie Porter's open seat to represent an Orange County congressional district where voters could have an outsize impact on the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Among the most hotly contested races in the 2024 election, both parties regard the district as an important battleground in the quest for control of Congress.
Former President Bill Clinton visited the district last month to campaign for fellow Democrats Min and Derek Tran, who is running against Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in a neighboring Orange County congressional district. The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched attack ads against Min in an effort to help elect Baugh.
Republicans hold slight voter registration advantage over Democrats
Created in 1993 and redrawn in the 2020 redistricting cycle, the 47th Congressional District has been represented by Democrats in Congress for more than two decades, starting with former Anaheim Rep. Loretta Sanchez in 2003. Baugh previously ran for the seat in 2022, when he was defeated by Porter..
That year, Republicans accounted for 33.89% of registered voters in the district, compared to 35.59% of voters registering as Democrats. In October, the GOP gained a slight lead over the Democratic Party in the district, with 34.87% of voters registered as Republicans compared to 34.83% for Democrats, according to the California Secretary of State.
The district sits in the middle of coastal Orange County and includes the cities of Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington, Newport, Laguna Beach and Seal Beach. Irvine, which Min represents in the state Senate, is the district's largest city with a population of about 314,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Who is Dave Min?
Prior to his election to the state Senate in 2020, Min was a law professor at UC Irvine, worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission and was an economic policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
As a son of Korean immigrants who lived out the American dream, Min has shared his concerns about the opportunities for future generations to succeed.
"I am so deeply concerned about the future of this country right now," Min said. "I am concerned that my children, the future generations, don't have the same opportunity — don't have the same hope that we had and that's what got me into politics in the first place."
Who is Scott Baugh?
Baugh, who is also an attorney, served in the California Assembly from 1995 to 2000 before becoming the chairman of the Orange County GOP in 2004. He served in that role until 2015.
Three primary issues have popped up over and over while talking to people in the district, Baugh said.
"That is crime. It is inflation and the budget. And it is the border," Baugh said. "We have to secure our border. We have to quit spending so much money and we have to enforce the criminal statutes to make sure the thugs that are robbing our citizens are put in jail."
Where Min and Baugh stand on addressing crime
Min has received endorsements from the state's largest association of public safety officers and the Fraternal Order of Police.
"In Congress, I will continue to advocate for a common sense approach to criminal justice, one that balances the desire for fair and racially neutral policing with the need to keep our streets, our homes, and our workplaces safe from crime," Min wrote on his campaign website.
Min described himself as a "champion for small businesses" and promised to continue to be one in office, according to his campaign website.
In terms of national issues, similar to their parties, Min and Baugh have differing views on abortion.
"Abortion in this state is legal all the way to the ninth month and I don't think the federal government should weigh in and change that," Baugh said. "The states already have the rights under the Dobbs decision. It's a state's rights issue now. What I object to is having the federal government come in and trying to tell different states what to do."
Min said he believes, like others in his party, that Republicans will institute a national abortion ban if they take over Congress and the White House.
"It's got to be about more than the state's rights," Min said. "I guarantee you they would pass a national abortion ban that would jeopardize the rights of women in California to access reproductive health care."