Almost immediately after Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) announced that she was running to replace retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in the U.S. Senate, Democratic California State Sen. Dave Min announced that he was running to replace Porter in the U.S. House.
Min's campaign just hit a potentially significant stumbling block, however, as he just acknowledged that he was arrested and cited earlier this week for driving under the influence of alcohol, the Daily Wire reported.
Though Min apologized and accepted responsibility for his illegal behavior, the incident could eventually prove troublesome as voters in California's 37th Congressional District decide whether or not to choose him out of a growing field of contenders to replace Porter in Congress next year.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, state Sen. Min wrote, "Last night I was cited for a misdemeanor for driving under the influence. My decision to drive last night was irresponsible. I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse for my actions."
"To my family, constituents and supporters, I am so deeply sorry," he added. "I know I need to do better. I will not let this personal failure distract from our work in California and in Washington."
According to the Los Angeles Times, records from the Sacramento Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol confirmed that Min had been arrested and cited for DUI and was later released from the Sacramento County Jail.
The records reveal that CHP had spotted Min driving a state-owned Toyota Camry late Tuesday night without his headlights on and proceeded to pull him over after he initially stopped but then proceeded to drive through a red light at an intersection.
Officers "noticed signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication" and following a subsequent roadside investigation took him into custody for suspected DUI just before 11 pm, after which he was then booked into the county jail and later released at some point on Wednesday morning.
In January, the Voice of OC outlet reported that State Sen. Min, a first-generation Korean-American and the only Korean-American in the California state legislature, had announced his candidacy for Congress just about a week after Rep. Porter had announced her candidacy for the Senate.
His announcement came with the immediate endorsement of Porter as her prospective replacement, as she heralded his "delivering on a progressive agenda with real results" as well as his "proven" ability to win.
The Daily Wire noted that Min, who previously was employed as a business law professor at UC Irvine, had challenged Porter during the 2018 Democratic primary for the 37th District seat but lost and then later ran for and won a seat representing much of the same area in the state Senate.
According to Min's campaign website, he intends to advocate in Congress for "bold and aggressive gun violence prevention, climate action, small business advocacy, domestic violence, and reproductive rights legislation" and "isn’t afraid to take on Trumpian Republicans and their dangerous policies."
Interestingly enough, while both Porter and Min have announced grand plans to advance their political careers in Washington D.C., it is entirely possible that both could end up being defeated and ousted from their respective seats in either the upcoming primary or general election fights.
Porter will face off against fellow Democratic California Reps. Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, plus potentially additional candidates, for the chance to succeed Feinstein, while Min will face an even tougher primary battle against a larger and bipartisan field of candidates vying for the opportunity to replace Porter in what is considered to be a "purple" district in the otherwise generally "blue" state.
