Loretta Sanchez sets announcement for Thursday on possible Senate run

Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Garden Grove will make a “significant political announcement” in Santa Ana on Thursday amid speculation that she plans to run for Barbara Boxer’s seat in the U.S. Senate, an advisor said Wednesday.

The Democratic congresswoman said as recently as late Tuesday that she had not yet decided whether to run – even after news organizations reported on an email inviting supporters to the Santa Ana train station for Thursday morning’s announcement.

“Together we will win,” she was quoted in the email as saying. Sanchez later said the email was a leaked “draft” announcement that was only intended to be shared among four people.

The conflicting reports set off a wave of commentary on Twitter suggesting her campaign was off to a bumpy start.

On Wednesday morning, Bill Carrick, a Los Angeles campaign strategist who is advising Sanchez, confirmed that she was indeed inviting supporters to a “significant political announcement” at the train station. He declined to elaborate.

Sanchez declined to comment.

Her sister, Rep. Linda Sanchez of Whittier, said she did not know whether Loretta would run for the Senate seat. “I think she’d be great as a candidate and as a senator,” she said.

If she gets in the race, Loretta Sanchez, 55, would face a formidable Democratic opponent, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who has already built a broad network of political support statewide and raised more than $2.5 million.

Republicans in the contest include former state party chairman Tom Del Beccaro and state Assemblyman Rocky Chavez of Oceanside.

Regardless of party, the two candidates who win the most votes in the June 2016 primary will advance to a November 2016 runoff.

Boxer, who first won the Senate seat in 1992, announced in January that she would not seek reelection.

Twitter: @finneganLAT