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Katie Porter Wins EMILY’s List Endorsement as Viral CBS Exchange Fuels Scrutiny in Governor Bid

The viral exchange tests her message discipline under California’s top-two rules.

Katie Porter ahead of the California Democratic Party's 2025 State Convention in Anaheim, California, on May 30, 2025.
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Katie Porter, a candidate for California governor, reacted angrily to a question about winning Republican votes during an interview
Irvine, CA - March 02: Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Katie Porter, right, speaks to the media as she waits for her son, Luke Hoffman, 18, to vote for the first time at the vote center at the University Hills Community Center in Irvine on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in the 2024 California presidential primary election. (Photo by Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Overview

  • EMILY’s List endorsed Porter this week, offering early fundraising and grassroots muscle for her 2026 campaign, though the group has not detailed what it will spend.
  • A CBS News California interview recorded last month resurfaced showing Porter bristling at follow-up questions about Trump voters, saying she could win without them in a Republican matchup and briefly moving to end the interview.
  • Porter’s campaign said the interview continued for about 20 more minutes, and reporter Julie Watts noted that only three minutes of a 30-minute segment went viral.
  • Rivals including Xavier Becerra and Antonio Villaraigosa criticized her comments, with others like Tony Thurmond and Betty Yee using the moment to question her approach and press for transparency.
  • August polls showed Porter with a narrow lead and a large undecided share, and the CBS segment’s focus on Proposition 50 highlighted how California’s top-two primary could make outreach beyond the Democratic base consequential.