As Questions Of Temperament Persist, Katie Porter Tries To Regain Edge In Governor's Race

In Congress, Katie Porter’s blunt, combative style helped rocket her to progressive stardom. It has besides go her biggest vulnerability arsenic she campaigns to beryllium California’s adjacent governor.

Her brusque approach, prosecutorial instincts and suburban mom entreaty fueled Porter’s emergence during her 3 position successful nan U.S. House of Representatives, wherever she rattled CEOs and Trump management leaders and batted distant GOP challengers successful a competitory Orange County district.

Her tack, however, made her a polarizing unit wrong her ain party, wherever fidelity remains an basal rate of occurrence and power. In Congress, Porter fought pinch then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and L.A.’s Rep. Maxine Waters.

The aforesaid unsmooth edges that endeared Porter to galore voters person besides alienated immoderate Democratic insiders and liking groups whose support could beryllium captious successful nan title to switch outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Then-Rep. Katie Porter meets pinch parents, doctors and diabetic patients successful her Irvine agency successful 2019.

(Mark Boster / For The Times)

“She came successful [to nan governor’s race] arsenic an outsider, arsenic a mom, arsenic a fighter. She wasn’t pulled into nan establishment,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of nan California Federation of Labor Unions. “I deliberation that’s why she’s celebrated pinch voters, because they want personification who’s going to fight, and sometimes that ruffles feathers.”

In nan run for governor, Porter, a azygous mother of three, has struggled to person grassroots fame into broader organization support. Even aft erstwhile Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped retired of nan title amid allegations of intersexual assault, she has yet to spot a awesome surge successful support aliases endorsements from Democratic powerfulness brokers.

A brace of embarrassing videos proceed to bent complete her campaign. The videos, which surfaced successful October, showed Porter yelling astatine a unit personnel and threatening to locomotion retired of a tv reporter’s interview.

As erstwhile U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has ascended and she remained stagnant successful polls pursuing Swalwell’s exit, Porter has progressively sought to redeem her image. She poked nosy astatine nan incident pinch her staffer successful an ad, smilingly asking a group of whiteboard-wielding supporters down her to “please get retired of my shot.”

In caller debates, Porter has sought to play up nan qualities that made her a standout among resistance-era progressives, needling erstwhile hedge money executive Tom Steyer complete his past investments successful backstage prisons and nan pressing Becerra for a “yes” aliases “no” connected statewide single-payer healthcare. Porter emphasizes her support for single-payer healthcare, providing free kid attraction and assemblage tuition and making able corporations salary their “fair share” successful taxes.

Porter said she wants to summation taxes connected nan state’s wealthiest residents but doesn’t support nan projected billionaire’s taxation ballot measurement because it is simply a “one-time tax” that won’t lick nan state’s underlying fund issues.

During a peculiarly chaotic statement past week, she scolded her opponents’ incessant interruptions and called retired what she considered a double modular complete her behavior.

“I can’t believe, pinch [the] interrupting and name-calling and shouting and disrespect for everyone up present who’s stepping into nationalist work that anyone wants to talk astir my temperament,” she said during nan May 5 statement connected CNN.

Though she acknowledged she mishandled some caught-on-tape situations and said she apologized to nan staffer, nan videos hindered her early momentum and person undercut her efforts to make inroads pinch imaginable friends successful nan race.

Porter speaks astatine a gubernatorial candidates forum connected Sept. 28, 2025, successful Los Angeles.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Influential lawmakers, labour groups and statement insiders person coalesced down Becerra and Steyer, her apical Democratic rivals.

Porter has scored immoderate cardinal endorsements. She is 1 of 3 candidates backed by nan California Federation of Labor Unions, on pinch Steyer and erstwhile Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. She besides has support from Teamsters California, nan National Union of Healthcare Workers and progressive groups specified arsenic Emilys List and California Environmental Voters, which dual-endorsed her and Steyer.

Union support is pivotal for Democratic candidates successful California, sending a clear awesome that they support nan priorities of working-class voters. For Porter, who has proudly refused to judge firm donations passim her governmental career, nan labour endorsements besides thief her pull nan small-dollar donations that are basal to her campaign.

While successful Congress, Porter proved to beryllium a prodigious fundraiser. In her past reelection run for nan House of Representatives successful 2022, she raised much than $25.6 cardinal successful contributions — nan second-most successful Congress, down only Bakersfield’s Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was past nan House Republican leader.

Still, her backing from elected Democrats remains comparatively thin. Along pinch her mentor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), conscionable 3 members of Congress person endorsed her gubernatorial bid: Reps. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, Dave Min of Irvine and Derek Tran of Huntington Beach. She besides picked up an endorsement from Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) aft Swalwell dropped out.

Though nary would speak publicly, aggregate sources who activity successful and astir nan authorities Capitol expressed concerns astir Porter’s temperament and her willingness to activity collaboratively pinch group she disagrees with.

“Katie Porter wounded herself large clip because she needs anger guidance and she doesn’t person nan temperament” to beryllium governor, Democratic erstwhile Sen. Barbara Boxer said during a caller question and reply pinch NewsNation’s Leland Vittert.

Through her run spokesperson, Porter’s declined to beryllium interviewed for for this story.

Porter questions Tim Sloan, president and main executive serviceman of Wells Fargo, during a House Financial Services Committee proceeding successful Washington successful 2019.

(Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)

Defenders reason nan backlash reflects a double modular for women successful authorities — a salient constituent successful a authorities that, contempt its wide reputation, has ne'er elected a female arsenic governor.

“Sacramento sizes up each gubernatorial campaigner nan aforesaid way: Can they win, and is this personification I really want to activity with?” said Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic advisor who is not moving pinch immoderate of nan candidates moving for governor. “The videos showed an angry woman, and for a batch of group that translated to ‘I don’t want her arsenic my boss.’

“It’s a double modular that dogs women successful politics. Jerry Brown was celebrated for his loud, unfiltered outbursts and cipher questioned whether he was up to nan job,” said Ashford, who served arsenic nan erstwhile governor’s lawman property secretary.

Gonzalez agreed, arguing that women who guidelines up for themselves “are often branded arsenic ‘difficult.’ Probably a batch of group deliberation I’m difficult,” nan labour leader added pinch a laugh.

Born successful Iowa, Porter often connects her authorities to her family’s financial struggles aft losing their workplace during nan 1980s workplace crisis. She earned degrees from Yale and Harvard, wherever she studied bankruptcy rule nether Warren. In 2012, while moving arsenic a rule professor astatine UC Irvine, Porter was appointed by then-Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris to oversee California’s $18-billion owe settlement.

After defeating Republican incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters successful 2018, Porter quickly emerged arsenic 1 of nan Democratic Party’s astir recognizable progressives. Armed pinch a whiteboard and different ocular immunodeficiency successful legislature hearings, she confronted banking and pharmaceutical executives complete supplier prices, user indebtedness and firm profits.

The props, theatrical astatine times, seemed to aggravate Waters, past nan Democratic chairwoman of nan Financial Services Committee. On respective occasions, Waters sided pinch Republicans who challenged Porter’s usage of ocular and audio immunodeficiency during hearings.

“Please do not raise your board. We’ve talked astir this before,” nan chairwoman scolded erstwhile Porter tried to clasp up a “Financial Services Bingo” paper during a 2019 proceeding connected indebtedness collection. (She later sewage to show nan committee connected “Late Night pinch Seth Meyers.”)

Eager to unit alteration they campaigned on, Porter and different freshmen, including members of “The Squad,” astatine times clashed pinch Pelosi and different Democratic leaders.

Porter speaks to volunteers while campaigning successful Mission Viejo successful 2018.

(Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times )

Porter has slammed lawmakers, including Democrats, for banal trading and funneling earmark funding to their location districts, arguing that specified practices breed corruption and mistrust successful Congress. The critiques irked Pelosi, a powerful unit successful California politics.

In her 2nd term, nan Orange County Democrat mislaid her coveted spot connected nan Financial Services Committee aft she listed it arsenic her 3rd prime and requested a waiver to enactment connected it. Typically, members prioritize specified high-profile committees and petition waivers to service connected lesser ones successful addition. The move was seen arsenic a risk, nan consequence a cheque connected Porter’s ambition.

“So galore of us, sloppy of ideology, tally connected ‘shaking up Washington.’ But past erstwhile you really travel here, there’s a batch of consequences for doing that,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told The Times aft Porter mislaid nan committee position.

Porter’s willingness to subordinate statement norms besides raised eyebrows during her Senate campaign, erstwhile she entered nan title for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s spot earlier Feinstein had announced status plans successful early 2023. Although then-Rep. Adam Schiff besides launched an early campaign, he did truthful only aft privately seeking Feinstein’s blessing. She yet vanished 3rd successful nan primary.

Her determination to tally for Senate did not ingratiate her pinch Washington’s Democratic leadership. The statement was forced to walk millions to guarantee different Democrat was elected to her contested Orange County legislature seat, and Schiff, her apical rival successful nan race, was a adjacent state of Pelosi — who endorsed him — and helped lead nan first impeachment effort against President Trump.

Controversy surrounding Porter’s individual relationships person besides surfaced during erstwhile campaigns. In 2024, she obtained a five-year restraining order against a erstwhile fellow who she said bombarded her and her children pinch threatening messages.

When a susurration run astir nan extremity of her matrimony threatened her first House run, Porter shared specifications of her 2013 divorce pinch nan Huffington Post, including that her ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman, physically intimidated and verbally abused her. Hoffman besides claimed to beryllium nan unfortunate of abuse, including an incident successful which Porter allegedly threw basking mashed potatoes astatine him. Both revenge for restraining orders and sought anger guidance during nan divorce.

Former labor person besides rallied to her defense. In an unfastened missive past month, 30 erstwhile staffers described Porter arsenic a “workhorse” who “asked of america what she expected of herself.”

“She demanded a lot, but she besides fought for us, mentored us, and stood by america erstwhile life sewage hard,” nan erstwhile aides wrote. “We judge nan nationalist should understand nan afloat personification we know, not a caricature built from a fewer clips connected a bad day.”

Porter has based on that voters are looking for personification consenting to situation powerful interests alternatively than accommodate them.

Katie Porter is interviewed aft nan California Gubernatorial statement astatine Skirball Cultural Center connected Wednesday.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

“It’s connected maine to support campaigning and support demonstrating that,” she told reporters aft a caller gubernatorial statement successful San Francisco. “It’s besides not mislaid connected maine that nan past clip nan Democratic Party had a female nominee for politician was 1994, erstwhile I was successful college.”

The affordability situation is astatine nan forefront of nan title to switch term-limited Newsom. As a azygous parent, Porter argues she is acutely alert of state and market prices — arsenic good arsenic higher-stakes consequences.

She described emotion shocked when, during a caller speech pinch her 17-year-old son, he asked if she would sojourn him if he moved to different state.

“I said, ‘Paul, you emotion California, why would you time off California?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m reasoning I mightiness want to person a family and I mightiness want to person a house, and I cognize that intends I’ll person to time off California,’” Porter recounted astatine a March forum hosted by nan California Assn. of Realtors. “We request to beryllium a authorities that doesn’t conscionable clasp group for illustration my boy … but welcomes caller families.”

The centerpiece of her projected “affordability solutions” are free kid care, free tuition astatine UC and CSU schools for students who complete 2 years of organization college, and ending income taxes for those who gain little than $100,000 — an thought she acknowledges she “stole” from Republican campaigner Steve Hilton. “I will return a bully thought anyplace I tin get it,” she said astatine a caller forum.

To salary for it, Porter would enforce a progressive firm tax, meaning much profitable businesses and corporations would salary a higher rate. A little than 1% taxation hike connected businesses that gain hundreds of millions successful profit would bring successful astir $8 billion, according to her website.

“I deliberation she profoundly and personally understands nan mundane struggles that truthful galore Californians are grappling pinch correct now,” said Petrie-Norris, who past period became nan first authorities legislator to endorse Porter.

While Petrie-Norris describes herself arsenic much politically mean than Porter, nan Irvine assemblywoman praised her arsenic a “pragmatic problem-solver” and “proven fighter” who has taken connected firm interests and nan Trump administration.

For a while, Porter was 1 of 4 women among nan awesome candidates moving for governor. One by 1 they person dropped retired of nan race, citing difficulties raising money and support.

After sharing nan statement shape pinch 5 men recently, Porter was asked whether California is fresh for a female governor.

“I judge arsenic hellhole dream so,” she said.