Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) announced her bid for California governor on Tuesday, joining a growing field of Democratic contenders in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
In an announcement video, Porter recounts first running for office in 2018 “to hold [President] Trump accountable” and notes she feels “that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians.”
“What we need is new ideas, a willingness to take on dangerous leaders, and their corrupt enablers,” Porter says in the spot over images of Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.) and Vice President JD Vance.
Porter highlights the economy, climate change, rising costs, housing, and health care as key issues.
“What California needs now is a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit,” the former congresswoman says in the spot.
Porter was first elected to Congress in 2018, ousting incumbent GOP Rep. Mimi Walters (Calif.) in California’s 45th congressional district. She was elected to represent the state’s 47th congressional district following redistricting. Porter ran for Senate in 2024 but lose in the nonpartisan primary to now-Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Republican Steve Garvey.
Porter joins the state’s Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D), former Los Angeles Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa, former state Senate Leader Toni Atkins (D), and former state Controller Betty Yee (D) in the growing Democratic primary.
However, one major factor hanging over the Democratic primary is whether former Vice President Harris will jump into the race. Harris’s high name ID gives her a boost in early polling. Politico reported last week that Harris told attendees at a pre-Oscars party that she would decide on a gubernatorial run by the end of the summer.
