The Issue Is: Rep. Katie Porter and Peter Hamby

This week on "The Issue Is," the countdown is on.

With just over one week until the first televised debate of California's 2024 Senate race, Elex Michaelson is joined by Congresswoman, and Senate Candidate, Katie Porter (D-CA).

Porter, one of four candidates to qualify for the debate, along with fellow Democratic Representatives Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, and Republican baseball legend Steve Garvey, previews her debate strategy as she lays out her plan to "shake up the Senate" by, among other things, banning federal lobbyist contributions, corporate PAC donations, earmarks, and Senators from trading stocks.

Beyond the campaign, Porter also talks the crisis at the Southern Border, where a record 302,000 illegal crossings were reported in December alone, calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, and her milestone 50th birthday.

The Senate debate, set for January 22 on FOX 11, comes a full week after the January 15 Iowa Caucus.

Journalist Peter Hamby has been on the ground in Iowa for the past four caucuses, but this year he's skipping the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.  He joins Michaelson to explain why, saying the race, where former President Trump leads the field by anywhere from 30 to 40 points, is "just not an exciting race."

Among other topics, Hamby and Michaelson also discuss the race for second in the GOP primary between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the challenges facing President Biden's re-election campaign, and the diminished role and value of the media in a Presidential race where the nominees appear to be a forgone conclusion with 100% name ID.