XPost: alt.politics.elections, alt.politics.democrats, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh XPost: talk.politics.guns, oc.general

Fellow Democrats are excoriating Rep. Katie Porter for saying her
opponents, including rival Rep. Adam Schiff, sought to “rig” California’s Senate primary — language that echoes former President Donald Trump’s
election denialism.

Porter finished a distant third in the Super Tuesday contest behind Schiff
and Republican Steve Garvey. The swift reaction to her social media
outburst underscores how California’s enormously expensive Senate race —
for a likely safe Democratic seat — has left lingering bruises. It also
raises warnings for Democrats tempted to use rhetoric they’ve condemned as undermining public trust in the nation’s elections.

Porter’s claim spurred an indirect rebuke from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-
Hawaii), who wrote that California’s vote was “not rigged.” And Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who formerly oversaw California voting as the state’s
top elections official, called the notion “ridiculous” without naming
Porter.

“It’s not rigged,” Padilla told POLITICO. “As the former secretary of
state of California, I can assure you of the integrity of the elections
and the results.”

Katie Porter: Schiff, Garvey used 'every trick' to win California primary

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Porter failed to advance beyond the primary after Schiff and a pro-Schiff
Super PAC spent millions to buoy Garvey, a former baseball star and first-
time political candidate who ran a lackluster campaign. The legal and well-established tactic under California’s top-two primary system
nevertheless fueled criticism of Schiff backing a Republican to smooth his
path to victory in November.

Porter had already assailed that “brazenly cynical” approach, and she
lashed out again on Wednesday in an X post blaming her loss on
“billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” She doubled down
with a Thursday post saying the vote had been “manipulated by dishonest
means.”

On social media, self-identified Democratic voters — including some who
said they had supported Porter — expressed alarm that she would insinuate
the vote was manipulated.

The backlash was especially notable after a primary campaign in which
Porter and other Democrats regularly condemned Trump as an authoritarian
threat to democracy. Schiff made that case most forcefully, capitalizing
on his fame as an anti-Trump antagonist. The former president repeatedly alleged without evidence that California’s elections are riddled with
fraud.

Porter positioned herself as a scourge of moneyed interests that she says corrupt the political process. In addition to facing a spending deluge
from the pro-Schiff PAC, Porter was bludgeoned by a cryptocurrency
industry offensive.

California’s primary system allows the top two finishers to advance to the general election regardless of their party affiliation. As a result,
candidates regularly spend money to elevate a rival who is seen as easiest
to beat in the general election. Schiff can now look to an almost-certain November victory over Garvey in a state where Republicans have been locked
out of statewide office for nearly 20 years.

Schiff is not the first to use that strategy. California Attorney General
Rob Bonta, who endorsed Porter and appeared at her election night party,
sought in 2022 to build up a more conservative Republican challenger.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/07/katie-porter-senate-race-rig- california-00145660

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