California’s next election 101

A jungle primary, a special election, and how to get involved.

Katie Porter

Dec 8

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We’re officially less than 100 days to our primary election, and this week I submitted my signatures to appear on the ballot!

Throwback! The kids came with me the first time I filed to run for office in 2018.

California’s primaries look a little different than the rest of the country’s (and a special election is making things that much more confusing), so here’s a quick refresher:

On Tuesday, March 5th, California voters will cast their ballots in the primary election for our next U.S. Senator. I’m not the only one counting down the days until March 5th. Voters will also be showing up to vote in the GOP presidential primary.

The effect for our campaign: A surge of Republican voters excited to vote in the presidential primary could be great news for my GOP opponent here in the Senate race.

California’s “jungle primary” system means that the top two candidates, regardless of party, move on to the general election in November. The last time California had a U.S. Senate race for an open seat, two Democrats advanced to the general.

A leader in many things, our state is also a leader in voting by mail. Ballots will begin being mailed to voters a month before the primary. You can make sure you are registered to vote at your current address by clicking here.

When you get that ballot in the mail, you’ll see my name on it twice. That’s because I am running in *both* the special election for the U.S. Senate seat, and the normally scheduled election. After Senator Feinstein passed away in the fall, Governor Newsom appointed Senator Laphonza Butler to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term. But Newsom also called a special election, allowing California voters to choose who will serve our state beginning in November 2024. So the special election will elect someone who serves from November 2024 through January 2025, while the regular election will elect someone to serve a normal six year term that begins in January.

The effect for our campaign: This “special election” means that contribution limits have doubled. Normally, each person can give up to $6,600. But now, folks can give $13,200 each. This is putting our grassroots funded campaign at a disadvantage.

Between now and March 5, I’ll be earning every single vote I can from Californians in every part of the pocket of the state. It’s a good thing I love campaigning!

If you’d like to get in on the fun—first off—thank you! Here are a few ways to help:

Donate. It’s really expensive to run in California, and I don’t take corporate PAC or federal lobbyist money. I promise, $5 or $10 really adds up and is how I have won each of my past campaigns.
Volunteer and show up to events: Volunteer and event opportunities will be listed here, and you can email info@katieporter.com to be added to our Slack channel for digital organizing.
Make sure you’re registered to vote at a current address and encourage others to do the same.