Overview

• EMILY’s List endorsed Porter’s 2026 bid for California governor, a backing that can deliver early funding and grassroots support and that followed a recent narrowing of the Democratic field.
• Newly released footage from a September CBS interview shows Porter growing testy when pressed on what she would say to roughly 40% of Californians who voted for Trump, asking, “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?”
• The clip went viral and drew criticism from rivals and commentators after Porter objected to follow-ups, said the exchange was “unnecessarily argumentative,” and remarked, “I don’t want this all on camera.”
• Porter’s team said the interview continued for about 20 more minutes, and CBS reporter Julie Watts noted that only a few minutes of a roughly 30-minute segment circulated online.
• Porter holds a small polling lead in a fluid top-two primary with many undecided voters, as other prominent Democrats remain in the mix or weigh bids and Republicans such as Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco campaign for the seat.