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2h ago

Viral Interview and 2021 Staffer Video Put Katie Porter’s Governor Bid on the Defensive

Rivals are using the footage to challenge her temperament, with one Democrat urging her to drop out.

Katie Porter caught swearing at staffer on camera.
Whoopi Goldberg on The View
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Overview

  • Politico published a July 2021 video showing Porter, then a congresswoman, telling a staffer “Get out of my f---ing shot” during a recorded call with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm; the Department of Energy’s posted version omitted the exchange and the unnamed staffer declined comment.
  • In a mid-September CBS News California interview that went viral this week, Porter pushed back on questions from reporter Julie Watts about winning Trump voters and at one point moved to end the exchange, though CBS said she stayed for the full interview.
  • The CBS clip spread widely on social media, with a video posted by an Axios reporter drawing roughly 2 million views on X by Wednesday.
  • Political opponents pounced, with former state controller Betty Yee urging Porter to leave the race and figures including Antonio Villaraigosa, Tony Thurmond, Ian Calderon, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco criticizing her; Villaraigosa’s campaign said a TV ad featuring the interview would air in Sacramento starting Thursday.
  • Porter said she holds herself and her staff to a high standard and has tried to be more intentional in showing gratitude, while her campaign has emphasized she completed the CBS interview and that she has been a top-polling Democrat in the 2026 race.