The Truth Behind Katie Porter’s Viral Moments
If you are following the California’s race Governor – or even if you aren’t – you may have seen some shocking footage in recent days of candidate Katie Porter. From yelling at staff to ending interviews early when asked too many questions – the optics haven’t been great for Porter, and many are questioning her future in politics. What do these revelations teach us about evaluating candidates? Are the issues in these videos the most important qualities that we should be focused on? And most importantly, how should all of this shape your preparation for next November?
Viral Reactions and Real Priorities
This past week we have seen quite a negative side of prominent Democrat Katie Porter. A clip of Porter sparring with an investigation journalist has led many to question if she has the right temperament to lead a state in crisis. The interview in question was led by CBS reporter Julie Watts and recorded in September of this year. Watts has been conducting an ongoing series where she has been interviewing all the candidates – both Democrats and Republicans – for California Governor on the most debated political issues facing our state.[1] The goal of the series is for voters to understand where each candidate stands on key issues leading up to the midterm elections.
Watts began the interview by asking Porter what she would say to the 40% of California voters who voted for Donald Trump in the last election – which I think is a completely valid question to be asking, and it is one she has asked all the other candidates as well. But, instead of Porter explaining why voters who may not be in her same political party should consider voting for her or expanding on all the ways she will make our state better for all Californians, the conversation quickly devolved into a tense exchange.[2]
Porter became defensive and reactionary, threatening to walk away from the interview if Watts continued with follow-up questions to her answers. It showed an unkinder and more volatile side to Porter than has been seen in other exchanges. Understandably, the response to that video has many questioning – if she becomes governor, how will she respond when questioned about her governance, policies, and decision-making in crisis?
Since that interview clip went viral, other videos have been surfacing exposing Porter for being temperamental, angry, and very unpleasant to work with. Another video showed Porter screaming at a member of her staff for walking into the background of a shot she was in process of recording. The staff member explains that she wanted to clarify a point that Porter was making, but Porter goes on to berate her and tell her to move out of the frame.[3] This type of exposure unsettles voters, because no one wants to be voting for a woman who is just downright mean to the people around her – especially when she stands on a platform of championing low-income workers and the middle class. It becomes very hard to believe her when you start to question what happens behind closed doors or if she isn’t willing to engage in a genuine conversation about the policies she would enact.
As a result, many have called on Porter to drop out of the race. Now, I think it would be easy, especially as a conservative, to see this coverage and think “Of course, this confirms what I think about her, she should drop out.” But I want to be careful here – because while I don’t agree with Katie Porter (for many reasons and on many topics), I want us to engage in a thoughtful and comprehensive examination of each candidate for governor, herself included, not exclusive to viral clips of their worst moments.
I don’t say this to defend Katie Porter – I do not believe she would make a good governor in any way, so please don’t vote for her – but I want to emphasize the point that first and foremost we should look at the policy positions and plans of each candidate and make our determination of their fitness for the role based on that, and then factor in things like media coverage and interview clips. This is the same standard I have for Republican candidates as well – because here’s the thing, it’s really easy to dig up dirt on a candidate in politics. It’s easy to find clips of them on their worst days, to take moments out of context, and to rely on emotional reactions to sway public perception of them. But with many of the candidates in the race for governor, we don’t need to do that. All we need to do is honestly examine what they have done in politics to date and what they have said they will do as governor – and for most candidates, that is telling enough as to who they are and what life under their governance would be like.
Policy positions are the most important thing about someone running for any position in our government. I absolutely believe that if you are running for governor, or senator, or president, that you should embody certain qualities – like the ability to state your positions clearly, honesty, integrity, and a patience that refuses to be quick to anger. But those traits do not weigh nearly as heavily in my assessment as the plans, programs, strategies, and positions you will enact and hold as the person in power over much of my life in this state and this country. Because to reverse the argument in this situation, I don’t believe you should vote for someone simply based on their likability, personality, or seeming “niceness.” You can be a really nice person who signs legislation to remove my children from me if I don’t affirm their gender confusion – so your niceness isn’t quite enough to make up for bad policies that ruin real people’s lives.
To that end, let’s get to know Katie beyond these headlines. What does she stand for, what has she promised to do, and should we consider her to govern our state?
Who is Katie Porter & What Does She Believe?
Katie Porter earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and has a background as a consumer protections attorney. She only recently stepped into politics in 2019, when she actually flipped a Republican-held seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She served there until 2023 when she ran for California’s Senate seat.[4] She lost the Senate race in the primaries, with Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey advancing to the general election. In March of this year, she announced her candidacy for Governor of California.[5]
Her platform when announcing her gubernatorial run was focused on one main thing: standing up to Donald Trump. In her campaign video she said:
“I first ran for office to hold Trump accountable. I feel that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians. As governor, I won’t ever back down when Trump hurts Californians, whether he’s holding up disaster relief, attacking our rights or our communities, or screwing over working families to benefit himself and his cronies.”[6]
Her run for Senator gained her name recognition and popularity among Democrats, and so in an early poll of California voters – taken in February of this year, before she even announced – 26% of voters said she was their top choice if Kamala Harris wasn’t running (which she has since announced that she isn’t).[7] Because the race for Governor is so divided, that actually makes Porter a frontrunner. It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the best choice or the favorite in the Democrat party, but she’s a name that most Californians recognize over others in the race who are less notable.
What exactly have been Katie Porter’s policy priorities during her time in Congress, as well as now that she is running for Governor of California?
Her key platform issue while in Congress centered around consumer protection and corporate accountability, and this stems from her background as a consumer protections attorney. She was part of the House Financial Services Committee, where she became known for her method for questioning CEOs regulators[8] – often using a whiteboard.
She absolutely hates corporations, large companies, and basically anyone who makes a profit, seeing herself as an advocate for economic equality and the middle class. Because of this, she has supported legislation to raise the minimum wage,[9] advocated for universal healthcare,[10] and highlighted “price-gouging” by corporations as a key issue to be addressed.[11]
So right there, we have a problem. In California the number one concern on the minds of voters is affordability, the economy, and the cost of living. As we’ve looked at together in past episodes, policies like raising the minimum wage or the government paying for universal healthcare is not going to improve the affordability crisis. In many cases, it makes it worse by increasing inflation and government spending. So, right off the bat, we have some red flags in her policy priorities.
Another topic we talk a lot about on this show is immigration. California is a border state and this year we have seen tensions rising between Governor Newsom and President Trump as federal immigration enforcement works to detain and deport illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. Where does Porter stand on the issue? Well, during her time in Congress she stated that it would be wrong for President Biden to shut the border.[12] She has also spoken out against President Trump’s immigration agenda and called for major reform to be made to ICE. So, that’s another red flag. According to a March 2025 poll conducted by Pew Research Center, 83% of Americans support deportation for either all or some illegal immigrants, with 97% of that group supporting deportation of those who have committed violent crimes.[13] Why would I vote for a candidate who does not have the interests of the American people at heart on key issues like this?
California is also a leader in the fight against climate change and the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Katie Porter has made it clear that she doesn’t believe California has gone far enough, and that she will work to combat climate change and help middle class workers afford electric vehicles.[14] Again, red flag as we have seen that these types of initiatives often cost taxpayers billions of dollars for little to no real results. Porter even supports keeping the high-speed rail project going, which has been a complete failure and has wasted billions upon billions of dollars over the span of the last 17 years.[15]
What about social issues? Where does she stand on gender ideology, abortion, and other issues that conservatives care about? Well in her campaign bid she made it very clear that she is in staunch support of defending abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights in our state.[16] She voted in favor of Biden’s “Respect for Marriage Act,” she cosigned a letter expressing concern about Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, she supported legislation to protect transgender people’s rights to use whatever bathroom aligns with their gender identity, she has sought to ban “conversion therapy,” and she has consistently voted against protections for unborn babies and for children born alive after failed abortions.[17][18]
So – does this sound like the person you want to represent your interests in our state? Does she sound like the right candidate to protect your freedoms, represent your values, and reform our state for the better? Obviously, I would argue, based on her policy positions alone – no, Katie Porter is not fit to be Governor of California.
Your Preparation for Midterms
The recent headlines about Katie Porter might reduce her chances of winning the Governor’s seat, but this cannot be a distraction to then just swap her out with a “nicer candidate” who holds all of her same core beliefs. We see that from her policy positions alone, she would be an atrocious governor, much like our beloved Gavin Newsom who has run our state into the ground.
We must reject any candidate who will not turn things around here, enacting real change to address California’s toughest issues and support not just the majority of voters who voted against President Trump, but also for the 40% of voters who DID – because they matter too, and the Governor is supposed to represent and protect their interests as well.
The midterms are not as far away as you think. Do not get distracted, do not focus on the wrong things. Evaluate the candidates by how they’ll lead California – not by who the Democrats decide to throw under the bus this week.
References:
[1] Watts, Julie, and Richard Ramos. “What the Candidates for California Governor Are Saying About Redistricting, Immigration and Other Top Issues.” CBS News, October 9, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/candidates-california-governor-2026-interviews/.
[2] Blood, Michael. “Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter Nearly Exits Tense Interview in Her Run for California Governor,” ABC7 Los Angeles, October 9, 2025, https://abc7.com/post/former-democratic-rep-katie-porter-exits-tense-interview-run-california-governor/17972502/.
[3] Taub, Rob. “Video of Calif. Candidate Katie Porter Screaming at Staffer Resurfaces.” News Nation, October 9, 2025. https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/katie-porter-screaming-staffer-video/.
[4] Katie Porter for Governor. “Meet Katie | Katie Porter for Governor,” March 5, 2025. https://katieporter.com/about/.
[5] Koseff, Alexei. “Katie Porter Enters Race for California Governor Promising to Stand up to Donald Trump,” CalMatters, March 27, 2025, https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/katie-porter-california-governor/.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Mitchell, Paul. “CA 120: Dems in a Funk, but Harris and Newsom Could Still Shine - Capitol Weekly.” Capitol Weekly, February 12, 2025. https://capitolweekly.net/ca-120-dems-in-a-funk-but-harris-and-newsom-could-still-shine/.
[8] Lane, Sylvan. “Porter Loses Seat on House Panel Overseeing Financial Sector.” The Hill, January 14, 2021. https://thehill.com/policy/finance/534335-porter-loses-seat-on-house-panel-overseeing-financial-sector/.
[9] Miller, Andrew. “California Senate Candidates Spar Over Dem’s Proposal for $50 Minimum Wage: ‘Do the Math.’” New York Post, February 14, 2024. https://nypost.com/2024/02/14/news/california-senate-candidates-spar-over-dems-proposal-for-50-minimum-wage-do-the-math/.
[10] Raman, Sandhya. “California Law Signals Ongoing Push for Single-payer System.” Roll Call, October 10, 2023. https://rollcall.com/2023/10/11/california-law-signals-ongoing-push-for-single-payer-system/.
[11] Representative Kim Schrier. “Reps. Schrier, Porter Introduce Legislation to Stop Price Gouging at the Gas Pump | Representative Kim Schrier,” November 22, 2023. https://schrier.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-schrier-porter-introduce-legislation-stop-price-gouging-gas-pump.
[12] Yu, Yue Stella. “What Would Katie Porter Do as California’S U.S. Senator?” CalMatters, February 16, 2024. https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/02/katie-porter-us-senate-california/.
[13] Atske, Sara. “Americans’ Views of Deportations.” Pew Research Center, May 16, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/03/26/americans-views-of-deportations/.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Seiler, John. “Katie Porter Walked Back Her Criticism of the High-speed Rail Boondoggle. Why?” Orange County Register, May 31, 2025. https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/31/katie-porter-walked-back-her-criticism-of-the-high-speed-rail-boondoggle-why/.
[16] PinkNews. “Katie Porter Is ‘Damn Sure’ About Defending Abortion, LGBTQ+, Immigrant Rights in California Gov. Bid.” PinkNews | Latest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans News | LGBTQ+ News, March 12, 2025. https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/12/katie-porter-california-governor-race/.
[17] Villarreal, Daniel. “Who Is Katie Porter? Where Does She Stand on LGBTQ+ Rights?” LGBTQ Nation, n.d. https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/04/who-is-katie-porter-where-does-she-stand-on-lgbtq-rights/.
[18] SBA Pro-Life America. “Rep. Katie Porter | National Pro-Life Scorecard,” January 2, 2025. https://sbaprolife.org/representative/katie-porter.
