Katie Porter Pushes Back - After Disastrous Week Ex-US Rep Rallies Support in California Governor Run

Katie Porter is fighting back. After a disastrous week that saw calls for the former Democratic congresswoman to end her campaign for California governor, supporters are rallying around her and seeking to deflect criticism about her temperament and readiness for the state's top job.

On Wednesday, a snippet of a recent TV interview went viral showing the progressive favorite Porter in an awkwardly tense back-and-forth with a reporter — at one point she threatened to walk out. Shortly afterward, a video surfaced of a 2021 interview showing her loudly berating a staffer.

After a round of condemnation from her Democratic rivals and a flood of online mockery, Porter showed no sign of stepping aside while her campaign lined up supporters to help her weather the fallout.

“In this critical moment in our country we don’t need to be polite, go along to get along, establishment politicians that keep getting run over by the opposition,” said Teamsters California Co-Chairs Peter Finn and Chris Griswold, which endorsed Porter in September. "We need strong leaders like Katie Porter that are willing to call it like it is and stand up and fight for everyday Californians.”

Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, said in a post on the social media platform X that Porter “is one of the toughest, most authentic leaders I’ve ever met.” Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILYs List, which works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights and endorsed Porter last month, said in a statement that Americans know that Porter is “the gutsy leader California needs to go toe to toe with (President) Donald Trump.”

An unexpected word of support came from Whoopi Goldberg, who said on “The View” that “Some people apparently are surprised by these videos. I am not. We see these videos with ... lots of different people.”

“Human beings have bad days,” Goldberg added.

It's yet to be seen whether Porter suffers with voters, if at all — the primary isn't until June, and the general election is in November 2026. But the unflattering videos are certain to encourage other potential candidates to give the wide-open, crowded race a look.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla is among those who have not ruled out a run in the 2026 contest.

“There are quite a few people looking at this field and saying, ‘There has got to be somebody better,’ ” said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta. Potential candidates are watching, “How far does Porter fall?”

“I think this whole thing is indicative of a race that is not catching fire,” he added.

Porter — who became a social media celebrity by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings to dissect CEOs and break down complex figures into assaults on corporate greed — is probably the best- known candidate in a race that was bypassed by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Porter is known for her potent small-dollar fundraising across the country.

The crowded field to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom includes former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and former state controller Betty Yee, all Democrats, and Republicans Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator, and Chad Bianco, the Riverside County Sheriff, among others.

A segment of Porter’s recent interview with Julie Watts, a CBS California reporter, went viral. In the clip, Watts and Porter get into a testy back-and-forth discussion and Porter at one point says, “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” clapping her hands.

Porter’s campaign said the interview continued for 20 minutes after the tense exchange settled down.

Porter issued a statement in response to the video of her shouting at a staffer, obtained by the website Politico, saying, “I have sought to be more intentional in showing gratitude to my staff.”

Campaign spokesperson Peter Opitz said in a statement, “Californians are hungry for a governor ... they trust can fight for them against Trump.”

“Katie is never going to be shy about calling out ‘B.S.’,” Opitz said.

Statements of support for Porter implied, sometimes indirectly, that the videos illustrated a well-known aspect of her style — she's known to display a tough, even if sometimes blunt, personality.

“Katie Porter is a fighter,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Min, who holds Porter's former Orange County seat, said in a statement. “She would make a great governor.”