Mimi Walters
45th District — Inland Orange County including Irvine
Walters kept a fairly low profile during the primary while a crowded field of Democrats fought among themselves. She has enjoyed the support of her district by large, albeit shrinking, margins in previous elections, winning with 65% of the vote in 2014 and 58% in 2016. Walters has taken fundraising seriously, raising nearly $2.6 million. Her Democratic opponent, UC Irvine law professor Katie Porter, had to spend most of her impressive $1.1 million primary haul in an intra-party primary battle and had just a sixth of what Walters had in the bank in mid-May. Plus Porter has cast herself as a progressive, which could make it tough for her to flip this district without high Democratic turnout this fall.
Key votes:
For: Obamacare repeal For: GOP tax plan
