6 months ago
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LOS ANGELES -- Former Democratic U.S. House subordinate Katie Porter announced Tuesday that she is entering the 2026 contention for California governor, joining a crowded tract of candidates that could beryllium upended if erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris joins the race.
Porter, who became a societal media personage by brandishing a achromatic committee astatine legislature hearings portion grilling CEOs, promised successful a run motorboat video to beryllium an assertive counterweight to President Donald Trump's medication astatine a clip erstwhile the heavy Democratic authorities has clashed with the White House implicit issues from h2o absorption to migrant rights.
"In Congress, I held the Trump administration's feet to the occurrence erstwhile they wounded Americans. As governor, I won't ever backmost down erstwhile Trump hurts Californians - whether he's holding up catastrophe relief, attacking our rights oregon our communities, oregon screwing implicit moving families to payment himself and his cronies," Porter said.
The contention to regenerate term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom already has lured a ample scrum of announced and apt candidates that would beryllium upended if Harris decides to question the state's apical office.
Harris, a erstwhile authorities lawyer wide and U.S. senator, has not ruled retired seeking the governorship since she near Washington successful January aft a failed statesmanlike bid. Porter is affable with the erstwhile vice president and has indicated she would measurement speech if Harris joins the race. In 2012, Harris, past California's lawyer general, appointed Porter to beryllium the state's autarkic slope show successful a multibillion-dollar nationwide owe settlement.
If Harris gets successful the contention "there are precise fewer politicians who would privation to instrumentality her on," said Claremont McKenna College governmental idiosyncratic Jack Pitney. "She'd beryllium apt to triumph the Democratic information and Democrats are apt to triumph the governorship."
Porter, who made an unsuccessful tally for U.S. Senate past twelvemonth and besides is known for her small-dollar fundraising prowess, becomes 1 of the champion known candidates, joining erstwhile Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, among others, connected the Democratic side.
Democrats are expected to easy clasp the spot successful a authorities wherever they outnumber registered Republicans by astir 2 to 1. Republicans person not won a statewide predetermination successful California successful astir 2 decades.
On the GOP side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco past period became the archetypal large Republican to denote a bid to regenerate Newsom, whose word runs done aboriginal January 2027. He blamed Democrats for the ongoing stateless situation and runaway lodging prices.
Even if Harris gets successful the race, the state's unfastened superior strategy tin beryllium unpredictable - each candidates look connected a azygous ballot, careless of party, and lone the apical 2 vote-getters beforehand to the November wide election. Trump-aligned candidates could participate connected the GOP side, generating blimpish interest, oregon a affluent campaigner could look with the funds to rattle the expected order.
"These unfastened primaries are hard to handicap," said Democratic advisor Andrew Acosta. "It conscionable makes it harder to predict."
Porter, a progressive favorite, created an online backlash aft losing the 2024 Senate race, erstwhile she faulted "billionaires spending millions to rig this election." She finished 3rd successful the superior - down Democrat and now-Sen. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey - and did not beforehand to the November election.
Some likened her words to Trump's baseless claims of predetermination fraud successful 2020. Porter aboriginal clarified her archetypal connection to accidental she didn't judge the California ballot number oregon predetermination process had been compromised but she didn't recant her earlier remarks. Rigged, she said successful a follow-up, "means manipulated by dishonest means."
She has been an progressive fundraiser since leaving her Southern California House territory successful January and returned to teaching astatine the University of California, Irvine, School of Law.
A user extortion lawyer earlier her predetermination to the House, Porter became known successful Congress for her unsparing interrogations of concern leaders and different committee witnesses, often utilizing her whiteboard to interruption down analyzable figures portion utilizing plainspoken connection to assail firm greed.
First elected to Congress successful 2018, Porter said successful her video that "I archetypal ran for bureau to clasp Trump accountable. I consciousness that aforesaid telephone to service present to halt him from hurting Californians."
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