Local Dem Clubs Support Dave Min
IRVINE, CA — California State Senator Dave Min remains undefeated, and continues to secure victories in each straw poll nominating contest across Orange County. In the third of its kind, the Irvine Democratic Club voted with a resounding 93% to recommend Dave Min for the Democratic Party’s endorsement. Other victories include the Central OC Dems and the instrumental Democrats of Greater Irvine, a group of activists who were key to flipping Orange County Blue in 2018 and have continued to help build out Democratic infrastructure in the region.
“Fundraising, endorsements and now straw polling is all saying the same thing,” said Dan Driscoll, Campaign Manager at Dave Min for Congress. “Dave is building a wide, grassroots coalition of support. Teachers, law enforcement, labor and party activists agree: Dave Min is the candidate to keep CA-47 Blue. Republicans know it–that’s why Scott Baugh needs national Republicans’ help to keep pace with this campaign. And Democrats know it too–that’s why Dave has yet to lose a straw poll.”
Handily winning straw polls in Irvine is welcome support for any candidate seeking to win a Democratic nominating contest in the area. The Democratic stronghold of Orange County, Irvine is home to the vast majority of registered Democrats in California's 47th District, with 39.58%. Inside Elections put it best last week: “Min has a base of support in Irvine, where much of the district’s Democratic votes come from, and inroads with the district’s substantial Asian American population.” The AAPI voter share in the district sits around 19%. And while straw polls can provide some indication of the level of enthusiasm for a given candidate, they may not be the most scientific form of surveying the political landscape. That’s why the Min campaign turned this summer to Public Policy Polling, a well-respected, national firm that found Sen. Min with a strong lead over likely-Republican opponent, Scott Baugh. Those polling numbers are available here.
Min has consolidated support from local, state, and national endorsers. Min entered the race with support from current CA-47 Representative, Katie Porter. In recent months, Min has announced the endorsements of California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Superintendent of Public Schools 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. He is labor’s candidate in this race as well, recently receiving the recommendation of the Orange County Labor Federation, as well as SEIU, IBEW, CFT, OCEA, LAPPL, UFCW, CWA, IUPAT and Teamsters. A full endorsement list is available here.
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 16 bills signed into law by the Governor, including leading legislation on hate crimes, gun violence prevention, family safety, and women’s reproductive rights. In the wake of the 2021 Huntington Beach Oil Spill, he stood up to the oil industry and led efforts to end offshore drilling. Min serves as Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and as Senate Vice Chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. He previously chaired the Senate Cybersecurity Select Committee.
Before entering the State Senate, Min was a law professor at UC Irvine, where he taught and researched in the area of business law. He resides with his wife Jane Stoever, a UC Irvine law professor who specializes in domestic violence and family law, and their three children 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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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%. 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.