Another progressive banking representative could replace Katie Porter in the House of Representatives

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who has been A thorn in the side of the banks She has not run for re-election since taking office in 2019, following an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

In the race to replace her, Democrat Dave Min, a former policy director at the liberal Center for American Progress, is running against Republican Scott Baugh.

Min, who once worked as an aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has a notable background in banking and housing policy. He was a prominent voice in debates about it during the foreclosure crisis that followed the housing bubble of the early 2000s Reform of the mortgage financing system. He was also critical of previous Republican efforts Reset key parts of the Dodd-Frank Act.

In 2018, Min and Porter were faculty colleagues at the University of California Irvine School of Law when they ran against each other in a closely contested race in California’s 47th Congressional District. After Porter prevailed, Min was elected to the state Senate, where he served two terms.

Min’s race against Baugh — who received 48% of the vote when he ran against Porter in 2022 — was closely contested. The district includes some of the wealthier parts of Orange County — not just the city of Irvine, where Asian Americans make up much of the population, but also more traditionally Republican areas along the coast, including Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach.

In recent election cycles, close congressional races in California often took days or even weeks to be decided. Two years ago, the race between Porter and Baugh was played nine days after the polls closed.