As Democratic activists and donors from around California come to her hometown of Anaheim for the California Democratic Party state convention, Rep. Loretta Sanchez held a campaign rally late this morning at the historic Santa Ana train depot to announce her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

That pits her against the front-runner, Attorney General and fellow Democrat Kamala Harris from San Francisco. Also running are GOP state Senator Rocky Chavez from San Diego County and former California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Baccarro.

From the LA Times:

“I am here to announce that I am a candidate for the United States Senate,” Sanchez, surrounded by family and supporters, said outside the Santa Ana train station.

The June 2016 primary will be the first statewide contest for Sanchez, who lives in Santa Ana. Her candidacy poses a major challenge for Harris, who might otherwise have faced no other big-name Democrat.

Sanchez will need broad support among Latinos and others in Southern California to offset the Bay Area stronghold of Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney who coasted to reelection as attorney general in November.

Two other prominent Latino Democrats are also considering the race: Rep. Xavier Becerra and former Army Secretary Louis Caldera, both of Los Angeles.

But for now, Sanchez’s candidacy means that two of the top contenders to succeed Boxer are women. Boxer and fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein made history in 1992 as California’s first women elected to the Senate.

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