Case Study: 2018 CA HD-45

Rep. Katie Porter

Stanford Campaigns’ research helped flip a red district safely blue.

In 2018, law professor Katie Porter was a first-time candidate running against a two-term Republican incumbent in a district that had never elected a Democratic representative. As a single mother of young children and domestic violence survivor, Porter didn’t fit into the “typical” mold of what a candidate should look like, and her male primary opponent was endorsed by the California Democratic Party, who deemed Porter “too progressive.”

After beating her Democratic primary opponent to move on to the general election, Porter hired Stanford Campaigns to help narrate her story and highlight what made her stand out - her extensive experience fighting predatory banks as a consumer protection attorney and her ability to relate to her constituents through her life experiences. This use of our research paid off as Porter won by five points, becoming the first Democrat to represent this district since its inception in 1983. 

In the 2020 election, Rep. Porter’s seat was and is still considered safely Democratic.