California Democrat Senator Dave Min's DUI Bust Could Have National ImplicationsBy Bob Hoge | 10:15 PM on May 04, 2023
California state Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine), who is running for Congress in 2024, was arrested for driving under the influence Wednesday night in Sacramento near the Capitol. Officers noticed the senator didn’t have his headlights on as he passed by them, so they started following his car and caught the lawmaker running a red light. ...
The story might seem to be a local matter, but as the LA Times reports, Min’s arrest could have national implications by affecting the outcome of the 2024 elections for the narrowly-divided U.S. House of Representatives. Democrat Rep. Katie Porter is running for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, and many thought Min was in the strongest position to replace her. While some strategists don’t think a DUI is enough to sway a race—“everything I know about the world of campaigns is that it’s not going to matter,” said one—others are highlighting the possible implications if voters do turn away from Min: …the potential for a shake-up is enormous, and the political stakes are higher in a purple region like Orange County.
Min, a Democrat, is running for Congress next year in a competitive Orange County district that Republicans plan to spend heavily to flip. The seat is currently held by Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate. She narrowly won reelection last year against Republican Scott Baugh, who will be on the ballot again in 2024.
Democratic community organizer Joanna Weiss is also running, but Min had been seen as the strongest Democratic candidate. Democrat Harley Rouda, a former congressman from Laguna Beach, bowed out of the race last month to recover from a traumatic brain injury incurred in a fall.
More at Red State
