Democratic Rep. Katie Porter leads Republican Greg Raths, a Mission Viejo City councilman, according to the first rounds of ballot counts from the Orange County Registrar of voters.
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Porter, a college professor, has garnered national attention for her questioning of financial executives during the Committee on Oversight and Reform hearings. According to her campaign website, Porter wants to overturn President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, push Medicare for all, get paid family leave for everyone and overhaul the immigration system to allow citizenship for undocumented people.
Raths, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot, wants to reform the unemployment system so people aren’t discouraged from going back to work, get virus liability protections for businesses and hold China accountable for the virus, according to his campaign website.
He’s criticized Porter for being too progressive and supporting Black Lives Matter. Instead of distancing himself from Trump like fellow Republican candidate Young Kim did in the 39th Congressional District, Raths has embraced the president’s stance on many issues and posts pro-Trump messages throughout his social media accounts.
Porter, meanwhile, hasn’t mentioned Raths during the home stretch to the election. Instead, she’s repeatedly criticized the Trump administration for its handling of the pandemic and social issues.