Congresswoman Announces Bid for California US Senate Seat Held by Feinstein

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) speaks at Irvine Valley College in Irvine, Calif., on Oct. 14, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) has announced that she will seek to unseat Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) in the 2024 Democratic primary.

Porter made the announcement in a Jan. 10 YouTube video. 

“They used to call the United States Senate ’the world’s greatest deliberative body,'” Porter said. “Yeah, well if that were ever true to begin with, that has changed too.

“The threat from so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell has too often made the United States Senate the place where rights get revoked, special interests get rewarded, and our democracy gets rigged,” Porter said.

“Especially in times like these, California needs a warrior in Washington, and that’s exactly why I’m announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate in 2024,” Porter said.

Following Porter’s announcement, Feinstein welcomed the challenge in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times and indicated that she has not decided whether to run again in 2024.

“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,“ Feinstein said. ”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.”

Feinstein’s 2024 plans are uncertain, as the 89-year-old California Democrat would be a nonagenarian by the time the 119th Congress started.

However, her office has confirmed that she plans to finish out her remaining term in the U.S. Senate despite concerns over her advanced age.

Feinstein, 89, was asked whether she intended to finish out her term, which is set to expire in 2024, as she is now the oldest sitting U.S. senator.

“Yes, absolutely,” she replied. “There’s still two years, you know. A lot can happen in two years.”

Her office has reiterated her intent to stay in the Senate, where she has served for around 30 years.

Feinstein’s expressed intention to stay on comes as several younger lawmakers in the upper chamber—including Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), 67, Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), 61, Rob Portman (R-Ohio), 66, and others—decided not to seek reelection in 2022.

Feinstein has also not ruled out running for reelection, despite being the oldest current U.S. senator, an accolade she received upon the death of Sen. Don Young (R-Alaska), who was older than Feinstein by only a few days.

The challenge from Porter comes as generational fractures in the party continue to rage in the lower chamber.

After nearly four years of trying to get Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to step down from leadership positions to make way for younger Democrats, most Democrat leaders in the House announced at the end of the last session of Congress that they would step down from leadership roles.

Concerns

Porter’s announcement comes amid some concerns about the mental acuity of Feinstein.

While the California Democrat has made fewer, less well-publicized gaffes than President Joe Biden, one incident in November 2020 raised eyebrows.

During a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, Feinstein was questioning former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

Feinstein asked Dorsey whether Twitter was doing enough to combat “misinformation,” citing a Dec. 7 tweet by President Donald Trump saying he had won the presidential election.

Dorsey replied to the question, which Feinstein had read from prepared notes. As he finished responding, Feinstein repeated the question word for word.

The event raised questions among some, including left-wing progressive outlets, because Feinstein is more susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia due to her advanced age.

Feinstein was first elected to the office in 1992.

During her time in the Senate, she also chaired the Senate Rules Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and was the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 115th and 116th Congresses.

Porter is the first major Democrat to announce a bid to unseat an incumbent from their own party in 2024. Other Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) are likely to face primary battles as well in a Senate season expected to be harsh for Democrats.

Following Porter’s announcement, Scott Baugh, a Republican who challenged Porter for the seat in 2022 and lost, announced that he was launching another bid for the seat.

Other Democrats have also expressed interest in the seat, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who has said he is considering a 2024 Senate run. The most populous state in the union, California has the most representation in the lower chamber, meaning that there could be a much wider field if Feinstein announces she will not seek reelection.

The other California Senate seat is currently held by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Vice President Kamala Harris resigning from the Senate. Padilla won reelection in 2022 easily in the deep-blue state.