US Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) attends the 13th Annual National Hispanic Foundation For The Arts (NHFA) Noche Musical at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on September 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Abby Brack/Getty Images
The fight for U.S. Senate is heating up between California democrats Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez.
Sanchez announced Thursday that she will be running for the open senate seat, currently held by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. For months, California Attorney General Kamala Harris has been the top candidate for the seat but Sanchez’s announcement could be a game changer for the Harris campaign.
Republicans running for the seat include former state party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro and Oceanside state Assemblyman Rocky Chavez.
Both Harris and Sanchez would bring new representation to the senate. If elected, Sanchez would be the first Latina ever elected to the U.S Senate.
While Harris’s support is primarily coming from the Bay Area, Sanchez is drawing much of her support from Southern California. Will she dominate the latino vote in the state? Will she be able to raise the money necessary to compete with Harris? And can she get Southern California Democrats to buck historic trends and turn out in larger numbers than their partners to the north?
Guests:
Loretta Sanchez, representative (D-46) for California's 46th congressional district, which includes Santa Ana, Anaheim, and parts of Garden Grove and Orange
Michael Finnegan, politics reporter for The Los Angeles Times who’s been covering