Rep. Katie Porter visits Huntington Park as field of California candidates for Senate expands
HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Rep. Katie Porter visited Huntington Park on Friday, where she spoke with local leaders about environmental issues affecting southeast Los Angeles County.
The visit comes about a month after Porter announced her bid for U.S. Senate, making her the first in a field of candidates that is soon expected to expand to three.
Longtime incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein has yet to publicly announce whether she's stepping away.
"L.A. and San Francisco are wonderful," Porter said. "And California is more -- more wonderful than just L.A. and San Francisco."
Rep. Adam Schiff has announced his run for Senate, recently endorsed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was expected to officially kick off his campaign tour on Saturday in Burbank.
"I feel, frankly, greatly indebted to the people of Burbank who helped give me my start in politics," Schiff said. "I'm a proud resident of Burbank, so this is my hometown. But we're going from Burbank to San Diego, to Sacramento, to San Francisco, to Fresno."
At some point he may find himself in Rep. Barbara Lee's district, Oakland and other parts of the East Bay. She plans to formally announce her Senate run at the end of the month.
Both Reps. Schiff and Porter have advocated for African-Americans achieving social justice.
There are currently no Black women in the Senate.
Lee, like Schiff, has been a representative for more than 20 years.
In an interview, ABC7 asked Schiff: "What makes you a better candidate than somebody like Barbara Lee, who has the lived experience?"
"I have just great admiration and affection for Barbara Lee, I think she's a tremendous colleague," Schiff said. "What I can point to is my own track record of getting things done for Californians, getting things done on climate, getting things done for vulnerable communities in the state and in my district."
When asked the same question, Porter deferred to the voters, who will ultimately decide. She touched on her track record before Congress, and leading up to her Congressional victory.
"When we fight for a fairer economy, when we fight for consumer protection, when we fight for affordable housing, those are in part fights for the Black community that too often has not had people in Washington listen to them and fight for them," Porter said. "Barbara Lee certainly has done that, but I would say that I'm committed to doing that in the future, long-term for the state of California."
