The chairman of the Orange County Republican Party (OCGOP) blasted Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) hours after she announced her candidacy for Senate on Tuesday, asserting she is using her constituents in the 47th District as a “stepping stone for higher office.”

“The worst kept secret in Orange County politics was the fact she was using the families of the 47th district as a steppingstone for higher office,” OCGOP Chairman Fred Whitaker wrote in a statement. “She’s finally come clean of her intentions to join her hero, Elizabeth Warren in the United States Senate.”

Whitaker continued by calling Porter, who represents the 47th District in Orange County, a “self-centered politician” who values ” personal glory” above her constituents:

Whether it is abusing California taxpayers to live rent free in UC owned housing, mistreating her staff members, or denigrating the role of a Member of Congress by showing up to work in costume or with profanity-laden books, this is who Katie Porter is. She is a self-centered politician who cares about personal glory more than the voters that put her in office.

Katie Porter spent $28 million in the 2022 midterm elections to narrowly win her seat. While she thought she’d walk into her seat, due to the efforts of our nominee Scott Baugh and the Republican Party of Orange County, she got the fight of her life. She will now limp into her Senate run with only a fourth of what she raised.

Whitaker added that Porter’s seat “remains our top target in 2024.”

The Democrat’s announcement that she would be vying for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) seat undoubtedly amps up pressure on the 89-year-old Feinstein, who is weighing the possibility of retiring when her term ends in January 2025 but is not on record with a decision one or way or the other. It also sends a message to other potential suitors looking to advance their political careers.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 19: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks reporters as he departs the final meeting of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. The committee voted to approve its final report and refer multiple criminal charges to the Justice Department against former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is one Democrat who is considering a run. During an appearance on KTTA’a The Issue Is last month, Schiff said he was receiving “a lot of encouragement to run for the Senate from people in California and colleagues here in Congress.”

“If Senator Feinstein retires, then I will give it very serious consideration,” he added. “You know, at this point, I think we’re waiting to see what Senator Feinstein has to say about her plans, but yes, it is something I’m giving serious consideration to.”

As Politico’s Jeremy White noted in December, Rep Barabara Lee (D-CA) was using time over the holidays to decide on her future political maneuvering, while Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) had also received encouragement to run.

“Spokespeople for Lee and Schiff told POLITICO on Tuesday that Porter’s announcement does not change their timeline for launching their own campaigns,” the outlet’s Kelly Hooper reported.