In California Senate election to replace Feinstein, will the streak of female senators end?

Feb. 22, 2024 3 AM PT

When Rep. Katie Porter first ran for Congress in 2018, some of the nation’s most influential female leaders and advocacy organizations lined up to support her, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris, Emily’s List and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

In Porter’s 2024 bid to become California’s newest senator, and succeed Dianne Feinstein, many of those same voices are silent.

Little about Porter’s campaign style or worldview has changed. As the Irvine Democrat attempts to court the same coalition of voters that got her elected in 2018 and reelected twice, she faces stiff competition from the other top Democrats in the race, Reps. Barbara Lee of Oakland and Adam B. Schiff of Burbank.

At least one woman has represented California in the U.S. Senate for the last three decades, a historic feat given that men account for 97% of the members who have served there since the birth of the nation. That streak may come to an end after the 2024 Senate election — and women appear to be a leading reason.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), one of the most powerful women in California and national politics, has endorsed Schiff, as has former Sen. Barbara Boxer, who served alongside Feinstein for nearly a quarter-century. More than half of the women in the state’s congressional delegation also back Schiff.

Along with recent opinion polls that show Schiff leading the field among likely voters, he also leads among female likely voters — in some polls by large margins. Porter comes in second and Lee third. One survey this week from Emerson College and several media partners showed Schiff up by double digits among likely female voters.

Voters, elected officials and political consultants watching the race said Schiff’s support among women stems from his high-profile stands against former President Trump, a reliable pro-abortion-rights record and the litany of female endorsements he’s picked up. All of that — combined with his unmatched financial resources — has put him in a commanding position against Porter and Lee.

“It’s not just about representation,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who co-endorsed Schiff and Lee. “People have watched him defend the institution and defend democracy against Donald Trump.”

Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) said she’s heard from people — including many women — who are frustrated by Porter’s Senate candidacy because it has forced Democrats to spend so much time and money on retaining her Orange County congressional seat. Without her on the ballot, holding the closely divided district, which may be essential to Democrats winning a House majority, is harder.

Former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, left, and Rep. Barbara Boxer raise their hands i

Rose Kapolczynski, who ran Boxer’s successful 1992 Senate campaign and subsequent reelection efforts, recounted organizing a fundraiser for an abortion rights super PAC in the early years of the Trump administration. Schiff, to her great surprise, was the politician the organizers wanted to speak at the event.

“The fact that Adam Schiff was the first choice of these progressive activists in West L.A. and he sold out the room and got standing ovations showed me that his fight against Trump was changing how people perceived him, particularly women,” Kapolczynski said.

Porter — a former UC Irvine law professor — and some of her supporters think having a woman in one of California’s Senate seats is essential. Lee also has made gender and racial representation a focal point of her candidacy — asking for donations so she “can become just the third Black woman elected to the Senate and build a progressive future for all of us.”

Last weekend in Long Beach, when Porter met with voters at a small rally on the back patio of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris warmed up the crowd before Porter spoke.

“If one of Katie’s male opponents wins in November, that will be the first time in more than 30 years that California does not have a woman representing us in the Senate,” said Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), drawing a boo from the crowd.

“The stakes are too high right now.”

Porter — who has done well with younger voters in recent polling — focused less on that history and more on how she intends to “shake up the Senate” and serve as a national leader for Democrats. She emphasized how she’d won tough races before and was not beholden to big donors or lobbyists. She talked about interrogating bank executives during tense congressional oversight hearings and wanting rich Americans along with corporations to pay their fair share.

Porter criticized Democrats for not focusing more on the housing crisis in California and not doing more to bar members of Congress or their families from trading individual stocks.

Once the event wrapped, Porter explained why her pitch highlighted the issues rather than her gender.

“I think people can tell that I’m a woman; I’m not hiding that. I’m proud of it,” Porter told The Times.

“Voters here understand intrinsically in California what it means to have that kind of representation, but it’s why it matters. You’ve just heard me talk about my kids and their struggles. My kids are in public schools here. I saw what learning loss during COVID meant, and I know how important it is to fix it. I’ve been the person who’s had to juggle child care.”

A woman at a rally holds a sign that says, "Katie Porter for Senate"

At the event, Porter supporters seemed mostly focused on her distinctive delivery of complex information and passion rather than her gender. Theresa Duarte, 61, of Yucaipa said her support for Porter sprang from seeing viral videos of her grill JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon over how much low-level bank employees make compared with his large salary.

The moment cemented Porter’s fame among many Americans, including Duarte, who say they are fed up with the nation‘s growing wealth disparity.

Duarte, a Circle K cashier making not much more than minimum wage, said it’s not that she thinks that having a female senator is essential — though it’s important.

It’s just that she’s all in on Porter.

“She the best person in Congress,” Duarte said.

Costa Mesa resident Judy Harris took a slightly different view. She doesn’t dislike Schiff and lamented that Porter is leaving the House of Representatives. Her concern is she doesn’t want a Republican to advance to the general election in the Senate race, much less win it.

Harris found Porter relatable and was attracted to her candidacy because “you want to see people who look like you in the Senate.”

“I know what her values are and think it’s important for little girls to see they can accomplish what she’s accomplishing.”

Two elections cycles have been described as the Year of the Woman. There was 1992, which came after the Supreme Court confirmation hearing when Anita Hill famously accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. The Senate Judiciary Committee overseeing Thomas’ confirmation had no female members.

Then in 2018, partially in reaction to the anger over Trump’s victory in 2016, Porter and a record 102 other women were elected to Congress. Most were Democrats.

“Every bit of research — from boardrooms to operating rooms to the halls of Congress — it all shows the same thing,” Porter told The Times. “If we want better outcomes, especially to help create equality and to help create fairness, women in leadership deliver.”

Adam Schiff rides in a vehicle with supporters along the route

But Porter’s campaign is running up against the deep ties Schiff has nurtured across the state — particularly in voter-rich Los Angeles County, where he has served in elected office since 1996.

At a Lunar Near Year parade last weekend in Chinatown, Los Angeles resident Sarah Bradshaw, 58, presented Schiff with an oversized pencil. On it she wrote: “To Adam, My favorite ‘Pencil Neck.’ Sarah.” Trump has used that phrase to belittle the Burbank representative, who now wears the insult as a badge of honor.

Bradshaw, who works in community outreach for local school districts, said she backed Feinstein and Boxer, has supported Schiff since he was in the state Senate and plans to go to Nevada to volunteer on Sen. Jacky Rosen’s reelection campaign this year.

“The fact of the matter is we have so many more women in office now. We still have so far to go. But it doesn’t take away from the fact he’s great on women’s issues. Always has been. I trust him,” Bradshaw said of Schiff. “He’s not a woman, but I’m going to have to live with that.”

Boxer, who initially planned to not endorse anyone in the primary but then backed Schiff, took a similar view. It was a difficult decision for her when the race began, she said, because “Schiff is like a son to me and Lee is like a sister.” As Lee struggled to rise in the polls, Boxer said, and she watched Porter criticize Schiff’s past acceptance of donations from certain committees controlled by certain corporations, Boxer had a change of heart.

What the Senate now needs more than anything else, she said, is a steady pair of hands.

“Katie is saying she wants to shake up the Senate. Well, the Senate has never been more shook up than it is now,” Boxer said. “It’s like a milkshake gone bad. I don’t like holier-than-thou people. I hate that.”

Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak contributed to this report.