Katie Porter is ‘damn sure’ about defending abortion, LGBTQ+, immigrant rights in California gov. bid
Katie Porter is running for California governor. ( Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Katie Porter has officially entered the race for California governor, and the former Democratic Rep. has said that she is “damn sure” about defending abortion, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights for Californians.
On Tuesday (11 March), Porter, who previously represented Orange County in the US House for three terms, formally launched her California governor bid with a campaign video after previously hinting about entering the race. Current Gov. Gavin Newsom is concluding his second term in the position in 2026.
Porter made her campaign message clear; she is firmly behind upholding “abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and immigrant rights” in the state. “Big Oil, Big Banks, or Big Pharma”, however, are not to be allowed to “screw people over”.
“I first ran for office to hold Trump accountable. I feel that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians,” Porter began in the campaign video. “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.”
She adds in the video that those in the state need a governor with “a willingness to take on dangerous leaders”, referencing clips of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, “and their corrupt enablers”, among clips of Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
One year ago, the politician ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate. She finished at third in the primary, and received backlash for saying the election was “rigged by billionaires”.
As per CBS News, her competitors also vying for the role are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Stephen J. Cloobeck, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate Leader Toni Atkins and former state Controller Betty Yee.
Politico also reported that former Vice President Kamala Harris is “seriously considering a run” for the role. The outlet adds that she would decide on a potential run by “the end of the summer”.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
