Bay Area tech exec joins crowded Senate primary race to replace Feinstein

David Wright, CNN

(CNN) — Lexi Reese, a Bay Area tech executive, joined the crowded Senate primary race to replace retiring California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday.

In a video accompanying her formal campaign announcement, Reese said that “I’m running for the United States Senate to fix California’s economy,” and referenced key issues for Democratic voters, including abortion, gun violence, and LGBTQ protections.

Reese, a first-time candidate running as a Democrat, will face several well-known and well-funded opponents in California’s top-two primary race, including Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee.

Reese filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run on June 15, and in recent months has contracted with several established Democratic campaign firms to work on her bid.

A veteran of the Bay Area tech scene, she previously worked at Google, Facebook and the HR company Gusto. Aides to Reese told Politico that she “plans to make an unspecified ‘significant’ investment in her own campaign, but that she also expects to seek contributions from others.”

The 2024 Senate race in California has emerged as a high-profile contest early in the election cycle amid concerns over Feinstein’s health and ability to serve out the remainder of her term.

Under California’s top-two primary system, two Democrats can advance from the primary to a general election in the fall, contributing to the crowded and competitive field to replace Feinstein in the large, reliably blue state.

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