Law firm owner Scott Baugh, former chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, is leading the race for Democrat Katie Porter’s seat in Congress with nearly 33 percent of the vote, after narrowly losing a 2022 bid for the same seat.
Preliminary results as of March 11 show Mr. Baugh with a widening lead over Democratic state Sen. Dave Min, who holds 26 percent of the vote, and Orange County lawyer Joanna Weiss with 19 percent, among others further behind.
“I am thrilled with the results. We will continue our message of securing our border, reducing crime, and getting our spending and debt under control to stop inflation that is hurting everyday working families,” Mr. Baugh told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.
The 47th District is currently represented by the outgoing Porter, who is running for Senate. She currently is in third place, topped by Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
The district includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine. Mr. Baugh is endorsed by the California Republican Party; Republican Party of Orange County; Howard Jarvis Taxpayers PAC; the Lincoln Club of Orange County; several members of California’s congressional delegation, Assembly, and state Senate; and several city councilors across Orange County.
He believes in lower taxes, more freedom and strong borders, according to his campaign website.
Mr. Baugh ran for the seat in 2022 but lost to Porter by four percentage points, 52 percent to 48 percent.
Sen. Min, who was elected in 2020, successfully brought forward 28 bills that were signed into law including legislation supporting abortion in California, expanding protections for victims of domestic violence, cracking down on greenhouse-gas emitters, and banning gun sales on state property, according to this campaign website.
Mr. Min didn’t immediately return a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
