One of the battleground districts that the GOP was seeking to flip was California 47 (CA-47). Businessman, former GOP Chair, and former Assemblyman Scott Baugh entered the race to try and defeat the incumbent Democrat Rep. Katie Porter. Porter is another “rising star” in the party, often grandstanding with a ubiquitous whiteboard, while ranting about corporate greed and dark money.

Porter’s former CA-45 district was redrawn, moving the coastal cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach into Porter’s established stronghold of Irvine. It was thought that the more conservative-leaning beach cities would be an obstacle that Porter would have difficulty surmounting. While Baugh gave Porter a good run, and early returns after November 8 showed his votes whittling away Porter’s lead, Porter was able to overtake him and maintain a slim three-point margin. Decision Desk HQ called the CA-47 race on Wednesday evening, with Porter holding the seat 51 percent to 48 percent.

Decision Desk HQ projects Rep. Katie Porter (D) wins re-election to the U.S. House in California's 47th Congressional District.#DecisionMade: 8:22pm EST

Follow more results here: https://t.co/AOgwtoN5Dd pic.twitter.com/Ii6tgcGwuW

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 17, 2022

Along with being redistricted into more conservative environs, Porter was under additional scrutiny for her disparaging remarks toward the Irvine Police Department after they arrested her domestic partner over a fight with a counter-protestor at one of Porter’s town halls. Porter’s continued relationship with the University of California Irvine has also come into question. Porter has been on administrative leave from her position as a law professor at UIC since she first won her congressional seat in 2018. This allows Porter the special privilege of taxpayer-subsidized housing on the UIC campus that is supposed to be reserved for UIC faculty and staff. Porter primarily lives in Washington, D.C., and has done so over the two terms she has served in Congress.

This is our time. Vote for a thriving economy. Vote for your children’s education. Vote for a secure border. Vote for freedom. Vote for a strong America.
Vote Scott Baugh for #CA47 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Xnxk13ytXw

— Scott Baugh (@ScottBaughCA47) November 8, 2022

Porter muted her normally progressive stances, and ran on a platform of fighting for Orange County families and being a fiscal protector, along with the Democrat rallying cry of “reproductive freedom.” While Baugh did his best to connect Porter to the progressive agenda embodied by her caucus, Irvine stuck with the devil they knew, and Porter was able to sway enough constituents in her newer communities to make it over the finish line.

Red Panda Politics sees this slim margin of victory as a sign that Porter will not survive 2024. Thanks to a GOP House Majority, her whiteboard and her radical influences will receive minimal play.

Katie Porter probably wins by a hair, but I don't think she survives 2024. Scott Baugh so far turns out to be a great candidate!

— Red Panda Politics (@RPP_TheReal) November 16, 2022