Los Angeles Anchorwoman Christina Pascucci Announces Run for 2024 U.S. Senate

Christina Pascucci, a longtime Los Angeles television anchorwoman, announced on Wednesday that she will be running for the late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, becoming the second major candidate to announce candidacy for the Senate in the past week.

Pascucci, a graduate of the University of Southern California, began her career as an anchorwoman and reporter in 2011 for KTLA in Los Angeles. During her time there, she became well known for interviewing the Dalai Lama in India, led an investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over water usage during a drought, and became a goodwill ambassador to the nation of Palau following a major story there in 2016. In 2022, she moved to rival Fox 11 across town, where she continued major stories including travelling to Ukraine to report on the Russian-Ukrainian war.

In addition to her journalism career, Pascucci is also currently a board member for non-profits Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the Children of War Foundation, as well as a senior delegate with the Junior League of Los Angeles. Earlier this month, she left her position at Fox 11, leading to speculation as to what her plans were next. On Wednesday, she revealed them to the public, coming in as a Democratic candidate for the California U.S. Senate race.

“I’ve been covering the most pressing issues of California for the past 15 years and watching this race closely, as well as covering it and interviewing some of the candidates,” said Pascucci. “And the more I watched it, the more closely I studied it, I honestly felt dismayed by how it was shaping up. I spoke to a lot of others who felt the same way. Like, this is our future — more of the same.”

“The only thing crazier than not jumping in this late would be not jumping in at all, because I have to fight for what I believe is possible for California and for this country. I spent my life and my upbringing learning to speak the language of people who disagree with me. A lot of times people don’t even try and they just say, ‘They’re extreme.’ That is the worst thing you can do. That is the intent of disinformation: To polarize us. The only way to combat that is by going in, sitting down and talking it out. And that’s what I’ve been trained to do as a journalist.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Pascucci added that “This election will be a choice between how it’s been done, and how it can be. I’m joining this race because I think that our challenges here in California, and across the globe, deserve a kind of leadership that puts people over politics. I hope you will join me in this fight.”

“Voters are disappointed are disappointed by the polarization and partisan fighting they see in California, and across the nation. We need aspirational leaders now who will bring America back to its ideals. Washington is in dire need of a heavy dose of truth. I am the person to bring it.”

Pascucci becomes latest candidate to join 2024 Senate race

Pascucci’s entrance into the race on Wednesday surprised many political insiders. Pascucci will come into an already crowded field with candidates with more political experience, more name recognition , more fundraising dollars, already established campaigns, and months more of a head start. This includes the ‘big three Democrats’ of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA),  Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA), and  Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as former Google executive and investor Lexi Reese (D), former Major League Baseball star Steve Garvey (R), and attorney Eric Early (R).

Experts also warned that while she does have experience with politics thanks to more than a decade of journalism experience, and her efforts in helping pass the CalWorks homeless assistance bill SB 1065 in 2020, she will be entering a race with no prior experience in an elected office or running for such an office. In addition, many questioned if she has the ability to raise a large amount of money in such a short time until the primary in March.

“Pascucci was a bit of a surprise,” Matt Saunders, a political consultant who helps advise candidates from entertainment and athletic fields, told the Globe. “She does have some plusses. She is kind of a known name, especially in Southern California. She does have impressive international experience and experience in Californian issues, which is very much needed. She has experience working to pass bills, and she is a board member for some non-profits and a senior delegate with the Junior League of Los Angeles. She knows the process.”

“However, she also has a lot working against her. She’s never even run for an elected office before, much less win one. She doesn’t have a track record of fund-raising. Oh, and she is coming into this race pretty late, with not a lot of time to set up shop, bring in money, and go out there and campaign. People like Garvey have come in late too, but he had spent months building up his campaign and bringing in funds and essentially hit the ground running last week. Pascucci? She doesn’t have a lot in terms of resources like that, especially in a party that already has a handful of major candidates already gunning for the position.”

“TV personalities running for office is nothing new, even those with no prior political experience. Most recently there has been Kari Lake, who ran for Governor of Arizona in 2022 and is currently running for the Senate seat there also for 2024. Anchors in the past have also won seats, especially at the state legislature level. Last year, former TV anchor Mark Alford (R-MO) won a critical House seat in Missouri. There is precedence for this.”

“But Pascucci is, again, facing a crowded race, one of which Democrats really don’t want more people in. Right now many are dreading Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) coming into the race, since she could split up the vote for the Democrats so much that Republicans are more likely to get at least one of the two slots in the jungle primary in March. Especially with Garvey joining in as a big name Republican and preemptively destroying her advantage of an ‘outsider’ candidate.”

“Nonetheless, she does enter the race with a known name and is carrying on the California political legacy of famous people through athletics and entertainment running for office. At the very least, she is going to draw some LA votes away from the other Democratic candidates and raise some issues that we otherwise may not have seen. And who knows, she may even surprise us all. This is California. Crazier things have happened.”

The Senate primary election is on March 5, 2024.