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For Katie Porter, President Trump’s second term is a factor as she weighs a governor run

March 1, 2025

Former Rep. Katie Porter says she ran for Congress in 2018 in response to President Donald Trump‘s first term.

Now, as she considers a run for California governor in 2026, she says the early actions of his second administration are “certainly a factor.”

“I am seriously considering it,” Porter said in a recent interview about running for governor.

“Democrats across the state are looking for what more they can do to stand up to what’s going on in Washington and defend our state and values,” Porter said. “What we are seeing this time from Washington is many times more hurtful for our state’s residents and our future.”

Porter left Congress in January after a failed U.S. Senate bid, but she hasn’t stepped away from politics.

In addition to teaching bankruptcy, consumer law and the legislative process at UC Irvine Law, Porter raises money for Democrats through her Truth to Power PAC and remains active with social media, TV appearances, emails to supporters and the occasional Zoom discussion.

But staying relevant in politics as a private citizen — what Porter is now — is more challenging than as an elected official with a public-facing role, especially with the upcoming governor’s race drawing attention to potential candidates.

A February poll indicated former Vice President Kamala Harris would be the frontrunner if she enters California’s 2026 governor’s race, with 57% of Democratic primary voters surveyed saying they would support her. Porter had 9% support in that poll, while 17% of voters were undecided. Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and prevented from seeking reelection.

Without Harris as an option, Porter led with 21% support among Democratic primary voters.

The survey only included registered Democrats, but California’s open primary system means all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. The race is already crowded, with seven candidates who have officially launched their campaigns, including Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Harris is also now a private citizen, but as the party’s former presidential nominee and vice president, she would enter the governor’s race with higher name recognition and a funding advantage, making it challenging for Porter to mount a successful campaign against her, political analysts noted.

“It appears that Porter would really like to have the job, but smart enough to understand that running against Harris … would not only be a steep uphill climb but could harm her prospects for running for statewide office in the future,” said Dan Schnur, a former campaign consultant and political messaging professor at UC Berkeley and USC.

A September survey from USC, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona found Porter was favored by the highest percentage of respondents among 13 potential and declared gubernatorial candidates — without Harris as an option. But that poll also showed weak support across the board, with nearly half (49.7%) of respondents unsure of their choice.

In the meantime, Porter is staying involved in current politics.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, she joined Rep. Robert Garcia — a Long Beach Democrat who, like Porter, has emerged as a media darling in his congressional tenure — in a virtual town hall for about 170 people who had donated to her PAC. The event included a discussion on government oversight and how Democrats should respond to the Trump administration’s pledge to shrink federal bureaucracy and root out waste and fraud.

When some attendees asked her Thursday, “What can normal people in California, and around the country, do to push back against Trump,” Porter said Democrats need to invest in candidates with real-world experiences.

“I think people feel like, ‘Do Democrats really know what groceries cost?’”

“I mean, I know, because when the milk is $3.99 per gallon, I’m excited, and I buy two gallons. But we need to elect people who know those things and who are really experiencing some of the harms that the Trump administration is causing so that they can be really, really credible advocates for pushing back,” she said.

Matt Lesenyie, a political science professor at Cal State Long Beach, said voters are signaling through recent elections and polling that they’re looking for a different style of politics and candidates who feel authentic.

“Porter is closer to that ideal point than many California representatives, including Harris,” Lesenyie said. “Porter has more modern political skills and instincts. Some of that is her, and I think some of it comes from her practicing politics in Orange County, which has a lot of Republican political talent and evenly matched party registrations in the electorate. Not the easiest place for a Democrat to win.”

Porter was part of a 2018 blue wave that ousted all congressional Republicans in Orange County amid anti-Trump sentiment.

While serving in the House, Porter was known for her sharp questioning in hearings, particularly her use of a whiteboard to break down complex financial and policy issues. On the House Oversight and Financial Services Committees, she gained a reputation for grilling corporate executives and government officials on issues like consumer protection.

Earlier in the week, Porter criticized Democratic strategist James Carville on her Substack, a subscription-based platform where people can publish newsletters, for proposing a “tactical pause” in opposing the Republican Party. Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist, had called for a “strategic political retreat” by Democrats in a recent guest essay for the New York Times.

“With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead,” Carville said.

But Porter argued that would allow Republicans to further rally behind the Trump administration’s push to cut federal programs and services, a key issue Democrats are highlighting for the 2026 campaign.

“I think some of what I’ve heard from some Democrats is, well, give them more rope, and they’ll hang themselves, or let’s just sit back and see how bad it really is. I think that is nuts. That is not who I am, that is not who I think we should be as Americans,” she told attendees during the virtual town hall.

While Porter is “acting and sounding like a candidate for governor,” she has to “decide whether she takes the risk or plays it safe and wait for Harris to make her own decision,” said Schnur, the former campaign consultant.

In the last election cycle, Porter faced some criticism for announcing her run for U.S. Senate before Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was still in office at the time, had announced a decision about reelection, leading some to view Porter’s move as disrespectful to the longtime senator.

Similarly, if Porter “can be seen as interfering with a Harris candidacy, it could have more of an impact on her long-term political career,” Schnur said.

Orange County Register

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For Katie Porter, President Trump’s second term is a factor as she weighs a governor run

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