When Congresswoman Katie Porter first ran for Congress in 2018, some of the nation's most influential women leaders and advocacy groups lined up to support her. Sen at the time.kamala harris, emily's list and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

As Porter aims to become California's newest senator in 2024 and succeed Dianne Feinstein, many of those same voices have been silenced.

Porter's campaign style and worldview have remained largely unchanged. Her attempt to tap into the same coalition of voters that elected her in 2018 and re-elected her twice now puts her biggest Democratic rival in the race, Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland and Burbank. He faces stiff competition from Representative Adam B. Schiff.

At least one woman has represented California in the U.S. Senate in the last 30 years, a historic feat considering 97% of senators have been men since the founding of the nation. This streak may end after the 2024 Senate elections, and women appear to be the main reason for that.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), one of the most powerful women in California and national politics, has endorsed Schiff, as has former Sen. Barbara Boxer, who served with Feinstein for nearly a quarter of a century. It's the same. More than half of the women in the state's congressional delegation also support Schiff.

Recent polls have shown Mr. Schiff leading among likely voters, but he also leads among female voters, with some polls showing him leading by large margins. ing. Porter took second place and Lee took third place.This is a survey Week from Emerson College And several media partners showed Mr. Schiff with a double-digit lead among likely female voters.

Voters, elected officials and political consultants watching the campaign said Schiff's support among women was a sign of his high-profile stance against former President Trump and his support for abortion rights. He attributed this to his track record and the support he has received from many women. All of this, combined with his unparalleled financial power, gives him an advantage over Porter and Lee.

“It's not just a question of representation,” said Rep. Sidney Kamlager Dove, who co-sponsored Mr. Schiff and Mr. Lee. “People have seen him defend institutions and defend democracy against Donald Trump.”

Kamlager-Dove said that people who are unhappy with Porter's Senate candidacy (many women He said he heard from (including) Without her on the ballot, it will be more difficult for Democrats to hold on to the close races that could be essential to winning a House majority.

Rose Kapolczynski, who led Mr. Boxer's successful 1992 Senate campaign and subsequent re-election campaign, recalled organizing a fundraiser for an abortion rights super PAC in the early days of the Trump administration. Surprisingly, Schiff was the politician the organizers wanted to speak at the event.

“The fact that Adam Schiff was the first choice of progressive activists in West Los Angeles, and that he received a standing ovation from a sold-out venue, shows that his fight with Trump has changed the way people, especially women, view him. “We showed that we are changing things,” Kapolczynski said.

Porter and some of her supporters believe it is essential to have a woman in California's Senate seat. Lee has also made gender and racial representation a focus of her candidacy, as she “will become the third Black woman elected to the Senate and build a progressive future for all of us.” She is appealing for donations.

When Porter met with voters at a small rally on the back patio of Lola's Mexican Cuisine in Long Beach last weekend, Rep. Cottie Petrie-Norris was in the audience before the former Irvine law professor spoke. Soothed.

“If one of Ms. Katy's male opponents wins in November, it will be the first time in over 30 years that California has no female representation in the state Senate,” Rep. Petrie Norris (D-Irvine) said to boos. was showered with crowd.

“The stakes are too high at this point.”

Porter, who has performed well with young voters in recent polls, has focused less on her history and more on how she intends to “shake up the Senate” and serve as the Democratic Party's national leader. placed. She emphasized how she has won such tough races so far, and that she is not beholden to big donors or lobbyists. She talked about questioning bank executives in tense Congressional oversight hearings and asking wealthy Americans to pay their fair share alongside corporations.

Porter criticized Democrats for not focusing more on California's housing crisis and taking steps to ban members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks.

After the event concluded, Porter explained why her pitch emphasized the issue rather than gender.

“I think people can understand that I'm a woman. I'm not hiding it. I'm proud of it,” Porter told the Times.

“Voters here inherently understand what it means to have that kind of representation in California, and that's why it's important. I talked about my children and their struggles. My kids go to public school here, and I know what learning loss means during the coronavirus pandemic, and I know how important it is to fix it. I was someone who had to balance childcare.”

Yucaipa resident Teresa Duarte, 61, showed her support for Porter at a campaign event in Long Beach.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

At the event, Porter's supporters seemed to focus less on her gender and more on her ability to convey complex information and passion. Teresa Duarte, 61, of Yucaipa, said her support for Mr. Porter was due to the fact that JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon paid less than a junior banker's salary compared to Mr. Porter's high salary. He said that he developed this idea after seeing a video criticizing how common people are.

This moment cemented Mr. Porter's reputation among many Americans, including Mr. Duarte. They say they are fed up with the country's growing wealth disparity.

Duarte, a Circle K cashier who makes barely more than minimum wage, said she doesn't think having a female senator is essential, but it's important.

It's just that she's giving Porter her all.

“She's the best person in Congress,” Duarte said.

Costa Mesa resident Judy Harris had a slightly different take. She did not hate Schiff, but was sad that Porter was leaving her House. Her concern is that Republicans don't want to advance to the general election, let alone win the Senate race.

Harris felt sympathy for Porter and was drawn to her candidacy because she wanted to see “someone who looked like me in the Senate.”

“I know her values ​​and I think it’s important for little girls to see that they can accomplish what she’s accomplished.”

The two election cycles have been dubbed the “Year of the Woman.”there was It took place in 1992 after Anita Hill's famous Supreme Court confirmation hearing. clarence thomas About sexual harassment. There were no women on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversaw Thomas' confirmation.

And in 2018, in part as a response to anger over Trump's 2016 victory, Porter and a record 102 other women were elected to Congress. Most were Democrats.

“All the findings from the boardroom to the operating room to the Capitol all point to the same thing,” Porter told the Times. “If we want better outcomes, especially to help achieve equality and equity, women in leadership will deliver that.”

Rep. Adam B. Schiff, who appeared at the Lunar New Year parade in downtown Los Angeles this month, drew the support of many high-profile women, even though he is running against two Democratic women. ing.

(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

But Mr. Porter's campaign faces the deep ties Mr. Schiff has cultivated across the state, particularly in constituency-rich Los Angeles County, where Mr. Schiff has been an elected official since 1996.

Sarah Bradshaw, 58, of Los Angeles, presented Schiff with an oversized pencil at the Lunar Year Parade in Chinatown last weekend. There she writes: “Dear Adam, 'Pencil Neck' is my favorite. Sarah.” President Trump has been accustomed to using this word to disparage the Burbank representative, and now he wears the insult as a badge of honor. There is.

Bradshaw, who works in community outreach for her local school district, has supported Feinstein and Boxer, and has supported Schiff since he was a state senator, and this year will support Sen. Jacky Rosen's re-election. He said he plans to go to Nevada to volunteer for the movement.

“The truth is there are a lot more women in office now. There's a lot more to come. But that doesn't take away the fact that he's great on women's issues. He's always been that way. I believe in him,” Bradshaw said of Schiff. “He's not a woman, but I have to accept that.”

Mr. Boxer expressed a similar opinion, saying that he initially did not intend to support Mr. Schiff in the primary, but later supported Mr. Schiff. She said when the race started that it was a difficult decision for her because “Schiff is like a son to me and Lee is like a sister.” Mr. Boxer said that after seeing Mr. Lee struggle to improve his ranking in the polls and Mr. Porter criticizing Mr. Schiff for receiving donations from certain committees controlled by certain companies in the past, Mr. Boxer said that It is said that he had a change of heart.

What the Senate needs more than anything right now, she said, is steady allies.

“Katie says she wants to shake up the Senate. Well, the Senate has never been more shaken than it is right now,” Boxer said. “It's like a milkshake that has gone bad. I don't like holier-than-thou people. I hate them.”

Times political columnist Mark Z. Balabak contributed to this report.