Democratic Primary Opponent Lends Self $125K to Keep Up with Min
Source: Dave Min for Congress
IRVINE, CA — Dave Min is pulling ahead in the race for California’s 47th District. From all angles–money raised, campaign & legislative experience, polling, and endorsements–State Senator Dave Min has clearly established himself as the candidate who will represent the Democratic Party in next November’s general election, and he is primed to keep CA-47 Blue.
After two quarters in a row boasting massive fundraising hauls that significantly outpace all other Democrats in the race, Min sits far ahead in the Democratic field in fundraising alone in the primary field as a sitting elected, endorsed by labor, teachers and law enforcement, who has a proven electoral and legislative track record.
“When Dave Min says he raised over $400,000 for the quarter, that’s exactly what he means,” said Dan Driscoll, Campaign Manager at Dave Min for Congress. “No funny business. No loans from the candidate. These are real donations from real people, who understand that there’s one candidate in this race who’s able to beat Scott Baugh next November. Voters need to know which candidate has the legs to actually contribute to a Democratic House majority next year. Senator Min is miles ahead of any other Democratic candidate in the field in terms of fundraising this quarter, total fundraising, cash on hand, and cash on hand for the primary. And he’s done this by creating a broad-based, grassroots coalition of support. This is a fundraising program built to last.”
According to the Federal Elections Commission website, Min's wealthy primary opponent loaned herself $125,000. Loans are typically considered by political insiders as a desperate campaign tactic to create the public appearance of viability when they know they've been outraised by their opponent.
Dave Min is no stranger to tough races. He currently represents over 80% of the 47th Congressional District in the State Senate, and won CA-47 during that election by over 5% in 2020, a tough year for Orange County Democrats, defeating a long-time Republican icon who was thought to be unbeatable. Just after the end of 2023’s first quarter, former Congressman Harley Rouda ended his bid for the 47th, leaving Min as the only Democrat in the race with previous campaign, legislative, or federal policy experience.
Following the Q2 reporting deadline, Senator Min has dominating leads among Democrats as far as the most money raised to date, the most cash on hand, and the most money available for the primary election. He raised more in the second quarter, and has nearly twice as much in available funds for the primary election– not counting candidate loans– as the rest of the Democratic field combined. What’s even more notable is where this money has come from. Dave Min is approaching $1 million raised for the cycle, without taking checks from Big Oil or corporate PACs. He’s built a grassroots fundraising program designed to last, with over 40% more individual donors this past quarter than the next leading Democrat, and gained 593 new donors in the second quarter. The announcement comes a few weeks after a Public Policy Polling poll showed Min with a commanding lead against his likely Republican opponent in the 2024 General Election.
Considering fundraising and endorsements in tandem tells a compelling story about Dave Min’s general election viability. While approaching $1 million raised, he’s also consolidated support from local, state, and national endorsers. Dave is proud to be the only candidate who lives in and represents the district, and who is endorsed by the district's current representative, Congresswoman Katie Porter. In recent weeks, Min has announced endorsements from the Teamsters Joint Council 42, UFCW Local 324, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 447, establishing himself as the clear choice for working families. This comes on top of his already stunning roster of support, which includes the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 47, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus’s political leadership ASPIRE PAC, more than 50 local Orange County government officials, and more than 60 state legislators. A full endorsement list is available here.
Taking fundraising, experience, polling, and coalition building into account, it’s difficult to deny: Dave Min is the Democrat who will be advancing to next year’s general election in the race for California’s 47th Congressional District, and he is in very strong position to keep this seat Blue, which is critical for Democratic efforts to regain the House majority.
Senator Min, the only Korean-American in the state legislature, serves as Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and as Senate Vice Chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Min has proven himself an incredibly effective legislative leader in the Senate, authoring 17 bills signed into law by the Governor, including leading legislation on climate rescue, hate crimes, gun violence prevention, family safety, and women’s reproductive rights. Among other things, he has authored first-in-the-nation legislation to end gun shows on state property, including on state-owned county fairgrounds; to end offshore oil drilling; to preserve 30% of California’s open spaces and coastal waters as protected spaces by the year 2030; and to recognize reproductive coercion as a form of domestic violence. He has led efforts to preserve and expand base funding for California’s public schools and was a proud coauthor of 2022’s Proposition 1, which enshrined a right to abortion access in California’s State Constitution. Senator Min has brought back over $200 million to his Senate district, including over $30 million for key wildfire prevention efforts, including the establishment of a new wildfire hand crew station in the fire-prone Laguna Canyon area, and funding for climate innovation, open space access and preservation, and for expanded access to the arts.
Before entering the State Senate, Min was a law professor at UC Irvine, where he taught and researched in the area of business law, and was seen as a leading expert in his field, testifying six times before Congress and regularly appearing on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. Senator Min has spent his career in public service, including working at the Securities and Exchange Commission and as a policy advisor for Senator Chuck Schumer. He resides with his wife Jane Stoever, a UC Irvine law professor who specializes in domestic violence and family law, and their three children, who all attend public school in Irvine. Dave is a native Californian, a product of California public schools who graduated from the Wharton School and Harvard Law School, and an Eagle Scout.
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