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Katie Porter announces she's running for California Governor
Katie Porter, a former member of Congress from Orange County who ran for a U.S. Senate seat and lost in the primary election in March 2024, is running for governor of California, she announced in a video Tuesday.
SACRAMENTO - Former Democratic U.S. House member Katie Porter has announced her candidacy for the 2026 California governor's race, joining a crowded field that could be significantly impacted if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.
What we know:
Katie Porter, who gained fame for her use of a whiteboard during congressional hearings, has officially entered the 2026 California governor's race.
In her campaign launch video, Porter emphasized her commitment to challenging Trump’s administration, particularly on issues affecting Californians such as disaster relief and immigrant rights.
Porter stated, "In Congress, I held the Trump administration’s feet to the fire when they hurt Americans. As governor, I won’t ever back down when Trump hurts Californians."
Porter joins former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, among others, on the Democratic side.
What they're saying:
"In Congress, I held the Trump administration’s feet to the fire when they hurt Americans. 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," Porter said.
The backstory:
Porter, a former consumer protection attorney, first entered Congress in 2018 with a focus on holding Trump accountable.
She has since become known for her rigorous questioning of business leaders and her ability to simplify complex issues.
After losing the 2024 Senate race, Porter returned to teaching at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law.
The other side:
On the Republican front, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has announced his candidacy, criticizing Democrats for California’s homeless crisis and high housing prices.
In response to Porter's announcement, Bianco issued a statement that said, "Katie Porter is a failed progressive Democrat with a history of supporting policies that increased inflation, grocery, gas and energy prices. She is cut from the same cloth of the failed career politicians who created California’s cost-of-living crisis. We cannot expect the same people who created this mess to get us out of it. Californians deserve so much better."
The GOP has not won a statewide election in California in nearly two decades, but the open primary system could introduce unpredictability into the race.
The Source: Information for this story is from the official announcement video posted on Katie Porter's social media accounts. The Associated Press contributed.