Porter rakes in $1.3M in first 24 hours of Senate bid

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) raked in more than $1 million in the 24-hour stretch since she launched her bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) seat, her campaign said. 

Porter, who became the first candidate to jump into the race when she announced her bid on Monday, raised $1.3 million in the first day of her campaign, pulling in an average donation of $38.23, according to her campaign. 

That massive sum puts her in the upper tier of Senate campaign fundraisers. It could also help give her a financial advantage over prospective rivals who have yet to jump into the race.

Before launching her campaign, Porter had acknowledged her interest in Feinstein’s Senate seat. While Feinstein, 89, hasn’t yet announced her retirement, she’s widely expected to do so in the coming months. 

The Democratic primary to succeed Feinstein is expected to be a crowded and competitive one. A number of other prominent California Democrats, including Reps. Adam Schiff and Ro Khanna, are also weighing bids for the seat. 

Republicans have yet to lure a high-profile candidate into the Senate race, though flipping the seat will be a long shot. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) won his first full term in November, defeating Republican Mark Meuser by a 22-point margin.

The last Republican to represent California in the U.S. Senate was former Sen. John Seymour, who lost to Feinstein in 1992.