One California congressional race is getting heated as two Democratic hopefuls vie to represent a toss-up Orange County seat held by Senate hopeful Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
State Sen. David Min and litigator Joanna Weiss have been publicly feuding for the Orange County seat through ads over the past couple of weeks. An ad released by Min on Friday accused Weiss of using campaign money from sex offenders to pay for her race.
“Why is Joanna Weiss attacking Dave Min?” the ad’s narrator asked. “To hide the fact that she and her husband made millions defending Catholic priests found guilty of molesting children in Orange County — money that Joanna is using to fund her campaign. Those aren’t the values we want in Congress.”
The ad refers to a recent news article that alleged Jason Weiss defended the Catholic Diocese of Orange County in more than one sex abuse case. However, Weiss has pushed back on the allegations, claiming he only represented the Diocese on employment matters, which he said he has not made millions from.
“Dave Min is resorting to lies to distract voters from his criminal history and that he would be serving his first term in Congress on probation,” Emma Weinert, Joanna Weiss’s campaign manager, told Politico. “Orange County deserves a leader who keeps their promises and will not turn to these defamatory, sexist attacks.”
The ad comes a week after Weiss released an ad that criticized Min for a DUI he received last year.
“Joanna Weiss has run a 100% negative campaign to hide the fact that she is funding her campaign with money through truly despicable means,” Dan Driscoll, Min’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “State Sen. Dave Min stands with survivors of sexual abuse and assault and is proud to have eight bills signed into law providing them greater means of protection and justice.”
The feud has been playing out behind the scenes for months, with both campaigns claiming the other candidate is a liability for the party. But the new ads show an escalation as the primary nears.
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The winner of the primary will likely face Republican hopeful Scott Baugh, who came close to beating Porter in 2022. The seat is considered a toss-up because Orange County has a large, affluent, and conservative population.
Min has earned endorsements from Porter, the state Democratic Party, and the Los Angeles Times editorial board. Weiss has been endorsed by the abortion-rights group EMILY’S List, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and a string of women’s groups.
