A Democratic California state senator endorsed by Rep. Katie Porter (D.) to replace her in the U.S. Congress was arrested Tuesday night for drunk driving.
David Min, the leading Democrat for Porter's seat, broke the news of his DUI in a Facebook post Wednesday morning, saying that his "decision to drive last night was irresponsible."
"I know I need to do better," wrote Min, who represents Orange County in the California Senate. "I will not let this personal failure distract from our work in California and Washington."
Porter endorsed Min before he jumped into the race for her House seat on Jan. 18. She launched a Senate bid a week earlier, shortly before California’s senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D.) announced her retirement.
The DUI could hurt Min's bid for the seat, which Republicans hope to reclaim in 2024. Porter herself barely won reelection in 2022 after working to become a progressive darling. She spent more than $24 million to eke out an 8,200-vote victory. Suburban Orange County, a longtime GOP stronghold in deep-blue California, tilted left under former President Donald Trump.
Min is running against Republican favorite Scott Baugh, the former state assemblyman who nearly unseated Porter last year. Min's highest-profile Democratic challenger, former Rep. Harley Rouda (D., Calif.), withdrew from the race last month after a fall that led to a brain injury. Other Democratic candidates include a gym owner who competed in CBS's The Amazing Race and a community activist.
Min, who has served in the California Senate since 2020, was previously an assistant law professor at the University of California, Irvine. He narrowly won his seat, which represents Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and Newport Beach, after public employee unions spent heavily to oust Republican incumbent John Moorlach.