Katie Porter nearly walks out of CBS interview
California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter explodes during interview
California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter nearly cut off a TV interview after a tense back-and-forth with a reporter.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Former Congresswoman Katie Porter is facing criticism after trying to walk out of an interview Wednesday. The former Orange County representative took exception to a reporter's question about appealing to voters who also voted for President Trump.
Porter, a Democrat, was speaking with CBS News reporter Julie Watts, who asked what Porter would say to the 40% of California voters who cast a ballot for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Porter responded with her own question:
"How would I need them in order to win, ma'am?"
A tense interview
The backstory:
Watts followed up, asking if Porter expects to win everyone who did not vote for Trump.
"In a general election? Yes. If it's me versus a Republican, I think I will win the people who did not vote for Trump," Porter said.
When asked what would happen if Porter faces off against a fellow Democrat in the general election, she responded that she "(doesn't) intend that to be the case."
The interview continued but as Porter faced more follow-up questions she grew frustrated, and at one point she held up her hands and said things had become "unnecessarily argumentative."
"I don't want to keep doing this. I'm going to call it. Thank you," Porter said, while reaching for her microphone.
CBS News later clarified she did stay and finish the interview, which aired as part of a 30-minute segment in which the candidates answered similar questions about California's redistricting plan, which will appear on the ballot in November.
A word from the candidates
What they're saying:
Porter's opponents in the race were quick to jump on the exchange as evidence she is unfit to lead the state or that she should drop out of the race.
"You can't be afraid to answer basic questions, and that was a question that was posed to all of us," Antonio Villaraigosa, a democratic candidate and former mayor of Los Angeles said.
Steve Hilton, a British American political commentator and contributor to Fox News, said it was proof that Democrats can't lead.
"They can't withstand the most basic questions. They totally crumble," Hilton said. "That's why I'm running for governor. We've got to change all this. We've got to get rid of this one-party rule."
Fellow Democrat Betty Yee is calling for Porter to drop out of the race, and Xavier Becerra, who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Joe Biden, said he was "not interested in excluding any vote."
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Riverside County Sheriff and Republican gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco called Porter "another unhinged Democrat."
"If entitled Democrats would care this much about solving the homelessness in our streets, the homes still in ashes or the gas prices crushing our families. But no, throw a tantrum on TV because you do not like the question. Katie Porter is just another unhinged Democrat who would complete Gavin Newsom's destruction of our beautiful state."
The road ahead
Big picture view:
The race for governor had largely fallen under the radar until the interview aired. Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta said the Democratic candidates have mostly the same policy positions, so there's little to help them build momentum.
"... Now a candidate's made a mistake, and the candidate that made the mistake is the frontrunner," Acosta said, referring to an August survey which showed Porter holding a lead with 17% of the vote. "It allows every other candidate to point and say, 'dumpster fire over there.'"
Republican consultant Matt Shupe said the interview was "amateur hour."
"I think there's going to be a lot of people that are going to be substantially less enthusiastic to support her campaign now, and this may be encouraging to other Democrats who have been thinking about getting into the race that haven't yet," Shupe said.
Porter's campaign did not respond to request for comment.
Acosta said the question could have been a chance for Porter to highlight experience that makes her more qualified than the other candidates: her 2016 congressional campaign, in which she flipped the 45th district.
"Katie Porter is one of the only people running who's actually been in a purple district, when she was in Congress, so I would think that'd she'd have a better chance to articulate that," Acosta said. "But she definitely fumbled that in the interview this week."
Shupe said it's a reminder that all the candidates need to work with everyone, not just their constituents.
"No matter if you're a Republican or Democrat, if you're elected to governor, you represent the entire population of the state. You don't represent your party, and you need to be working for the good of the entire state and the entire population," Shupe said.
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