The battle for the open seat in California’s 47th Congressional District pits Democratic state Sen. Dave Min against Republican business owner Scott Baugh in a race that both parties see as pivotal in their fight to control Congress.
The House seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who will be leaving Congress in January. Her decision not to seek reelection and to instead run for the Senate, a bid that fell short in the March primary, kicked off a passionate competition to replace her. Porter narrowly beat back a challenge by Baugh in 2022.
In this affluent district covering a large swath of coastal Orange County, Democrats have a slight voter registration edge over Republicans.
Who are the candidates?
Min, a former UC Irvine law professor, has served in the state Senate since 2020. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission as an enforcement attorney. He later served as an economic and financial policy advisor to Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, the current majority leader. He is endorsed by Porter and the California Democratic Party.
Min was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence last year. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years of informal probation. In a Facebook post at the time, he apologized to his family and constituents, calling his decision to get behind the wheel “irresponsible.”
Read more: California lawmaker Dave Min arrested, cited with drunk driving
During his time in the state Senate, Min has written or co-written legislation that has tightened laws on firearms, granted support to victims of human trafficking and expanded punishment for companies that commit environmental crimes. His legislative priorities include gun violence prevention, protecting reproductive rights, improving public safety, investing in public education and confronting anti-Asian hatred, according to his campaign website.
Baugh, who is endorsed by the California Republican Party, led the Orange County GOP as its chairman from 2004 to 2015. He graduated from Liberty University, where he majored in business administration, before attending law school at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. The Huntington Beach attorney also served in the California Assembly from 1995 to 2000.
In 1999, Baugh agreed to pay a civil fine of $47,900 for nine violations of the state Political Reform Act, stemming from allegations of misconduct in his 1995 election to the Assembly.
On his campaign website, he lists securing the border, curtailing government spending and banning stock trading by members of Congress as his priorities. He also opposes new taxes or tax increases. Baugh has said he is against abortion with exceptions in cases of rape or incest and to protect the life of the woman.
Where is the district?
This affluent Orange County district runs along the coast from Seal Beach south to Laguna Beach, and reaches inland to the cities of Costa Mesa and Irvine — including the UC Irvine campus — as well as parts of Laguna Hills and the retirement community of Laguna Woods.
Proposition 36: Stiffer penalties for certain crimes
Min broke ranks with top Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, over the summer to endorse Proposition 36, the November ballot initiative that would increase prison sentences for retail thefts and some drug crimes. The measure seeks to roll back some aspects of Proposition 47 — a decade-old law that reclassified certain nonviolent felonies, including those related to theft and drug possession, as misdemeanors.
“While well intentioned, Proposition 47 has resulted in a wave of unintended consequences that have plagued our communities with a dramatic rise in retail theft and smash-and-grab robberies,” Min said in a statement. “We need to fix the problems with Prop 47 and the District Attorneys’ measure will help do that.”
Read more: Your guide to Proposition 36: Stiffer penalties for some drug and theft crimes
Baugh wrote on his campaign website that he also endorses Proposition 36. In July, after a tourist was killed in a botched robbery attempt at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, he emphasized on his social media accounts that he sees a need for tougher penalties.
“We are seeing the consequences right here in our community of soft on crime policies,” he wrote on X. “We need to protect our neighborhoods, protect our families, and stand tough on crime. It’s time to hold criminals accountable. Those who break the law should be prosecuted and sent to prison.”
Climate policy
Min has said he considers climate change to be one of the most urgent issues facing the nation. After the oil spill in Orange County in 2021, he wrote legislation that sought to terminate the remaining leases for offshore oil drilling in California waters. Min also sponsored a bill, which became law last year, to establish a statewide goal to conserve at least 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030.
He hopes “to bring to bear at the federal level many of the changes that we’re leading with here in California,” and has said promoting electric cars and solar and wind energy isn’t enough.
In an election questionnaire published by the Orange County Register ahead of the primary, Baugh said solutions to environmental issues should be tailored to the problems they’re attempting to address rather than with sweeping mandates that project “theoretical outcomes but no measurable solutions.”
Scientific ingenuity, unshackled by overly burdensome regulations, provides solutions like carbon capture and storage technology that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” he said. In a video interview posted to X, Baugh said he doesn’t think there needs to be more offshore drilling, particularly off the Orange County coast.
Past coverage
Read more: Wealthier Asian American and Latino voters in Orange County may be pivotal in upcoming elections
Read more: How an expensive bet by Emily’s List in an Orange County congressional race went awry
Read more: Six California House races that could help determine control of Congress
How and where to vote
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
