Min Releases Statement on Trump Fundraiser in CA-47

IRVINE, CA — This weekend, Donald Trump is slated to visit Orange County for a number of events and fundraisers. State Senator Dave Min, the leading candidate in the contest to represent California's 47th Congressional District, is releasing the following statement:

Donald Trump and his MAGA insurrectionist supporters are coming to Newport Beach to help my opponent Scott Baugh because they think that Orange County is a right-wing bastion that will be receptive to their message of corruption, racism, xenophobia, and destroying the rule of law and democracy. But they will find that this isn’t the Orange County they think it is. 

I know, because I was elected to represent this same area in the State Senate in 2020. I won by emphasizing the importance of diversity, women’s reproductive rights, and an economy that works for working Americans– precisely the values that convicted felon Donald Trump and his crony Scott Baugh, who was himself indicted for four felony criminal counts, are trying to demonize. While Baugh has a long history of public corruption, I’m proud to be backed by law enforcement in this race.

Orange County is a wonderful place filled with good-hearted people, and I am confident that they will reject Donald Trump, Scott Baugh, and their extreme MAGA agenda once again this November.

The 47th Congressional District includes the cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach, and in the 2020 presidential election, voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump by an 11 point margin. State Senator Dave Min has proven he can win here, as he currently represents nearly 85% of CA-47. Min has assembled an impressive coalition of support in his bid to keep this seat in Democratic hands. In addition to being on the DCCC’s Red to Blue List of priority challengers for the House, Senator Min is endorsed by outgoing Rep. Katie Porter, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and over 50 local elected officials. He is also the consensus choice of Teachers, Police, Firefighters, and Organized Labor, with major endorsements including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Officers Research Association of California, the International Association of Firefighters, SEIU, AFSCME, Teamsters, AFL-CIO, and the California Labor Federation. A full endorsement list is available here. 

By contrast, Baugh has a checkered past that is out of touch with the district’s values. He has spent the last 25 years as a lobbyist representing controversial clients like Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and sober living homes. In 1996, Baugh faced more than 20 criminal charges, including four felonies, for violating campaign finance laws, perjury, and related charges. He also chaired the Orange County Republican Party even as they ran a fraudulent voter registration fiasco that resulted in 12 felony arrests. Baugh is not just mirroring Donald Trump on felony counts, but has also matched Trump on his extreme MAGA agenda.

Baugh opposes abortion, with not exception for rape or incest, has long opposed marriage equality, and refuses to acknowledge the results of the 2020 presidential election as legitimate. He recently described the unanimous verdict of a jury made up of 12 average Americans finding Trump guilty of 34 felony convictions as a “political persecution.”

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California’s 47th is an open Congressional District in Orange County that includes the Cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach, and portions of Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Woods. Incumbent Katie Porter is vacating the seat to run for U.S. Senate. In 2022, Porter defeated former Assemblymember Republican Scott Baugh by 3.44% in this “toss-up” district. State Senator Dave Min currently represents over 80% of Congressional District 47 in Sacramento. In 2020, Min received over 158,000 votes within CA-47, defeating incumbent John Moorlach by 5.15% in this area. 19% of the registered voters in CA-47 are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, including one of the largest Korean-American populations in the country.