He is a former member of the House of Representatives from Iowa. Katie Porter runs for governor of California
Katie Porter will replace Gavin Newsom in areas that include increasingly crowded areas.
Fox – LA
The viral video using a whiteboard has disappeared. Her seat in the assembly has also been lost. And apparently, former House Rep. Katie Porter’s cheeky reputation never faded.
The former Orange County House member left the U.S. House to run for the Senate, eventually losing to Senator Adam Schiff last year, but is now the early frontline candidate to become California’s next governor in the fight for succession to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But Republicans and Porter’s Democratic primary opposition opposition took advantage of last month’s interview, which surfaced widely in the week of October 6, where he rebuked CBS News California reporter Julie Watts multiple times.
“What do you say to 40% of California voters who voted for (President Donald Trump), those who needed to win?” Watts asked. Porter then said, “What can I do to win?” With a laugh, he expressed some disagreement with the question.
Porter went on to refer to her three-term term representing the “purple” Orange County battleground, saying, “I have stood on my feet and won Republican votes before, but that’s not something that every candidate in this campaign can say.”
Professor Watts pointed out that Professor Porter “just said that those who voted for President Trump weren’t needed,” so the law professor raised his hands and argued that the interview was “unnecessarily controversial.” USA TODAY has requested comment from the Porter camp.
When Watts told Porter he asked all the candidates for governor, Porter said, “I don’t want to do any more. I’ll call you. Thank you,” urging him to remove the microphone from his dress.
Watts wondered if he was really planning on finishing the interview, and Porter said that although he never finished the interview, “There were seven follow-ups on every question.”
An investigator said her job was to ask follow-up questions, but Porter insisted that “I don’t want to have unfortunate experiences with you and don’t want to show them all on camera.”
Porter’s main opponents, including former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villararigoza, Biden-era U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tony Thurmond, California Superintendent of Education, have denounced Porter’s comments.
Porter led early polls after former Vice President Kamala Harris resigned from office in 2026, but the state’s senior Sen. Alex Padilla could take office, making things complicated for Porter. In an interview with Watts, Porter said he has “becomes in terms of popularity” to win the gubernatorial election.
Katie Porter won a restraining order last year against her ex-girlfriend Julian Willis
While in Congress, Porter became nationally famous after a video of the clashes on social media during a congressional hearing showing numbers on a whiteboard.
Despite her national profile, her tenure was plagued by occasional tensions with the Democratic leadership, alleged abuse of staff, and allegations of past domestic violence by her ex-husband.
When he appeared on The View in April 2023, Porter mentioned allegations that he had created a “harmful workplace.”
“I’ve seen this as a professor. Certainly, female professors, especially women of color, have far worse educational ratings… We’ve seen them many times, even if the professional ratings are all the same,” Porter said.
“Many of the so-called ‘bad bosses’ are women, and disproportionately many of them are people of color,” Porter said.
“I think this is a real shame because these are the kind of voices we need more from our government,” Porter added. “So I’m proud of my staff. I’m proud of the relationships we’ve built. I’m proud to have them as my team.”
Porter was sentenced to a five-year restraining order last year against her ex-girlfriend Julian Willis just before she left Congress, according to the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.
(This article has been updated with new information.)
Contributed by Paris Barraza, The Desert Sun
