(The Center Square) – Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, who lost to U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, in the 2024 primary, announced Tuesday she’s running for governor.
Porter is joining the crowded field of Democrats running in the 2026 election to succeed another Democrat, termed-out California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“What California needs now is a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit. That’s why I’m running for governor,” the Irvine consumer protection lawyer, law professor and mother posted on X.
Despite speculation about her candidacy, former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat who lost to Republican President Donald Trump in November, so far has not announced she’s running.
Besides Porter, Democrats running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state Controller Betty Yee.
The gubernatorial race currently has only one Republican candidate, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, an outspoken critic of Newsom and vocal supporter of Trump.
Porter, who was elected in 2019 to the U.S. House on a campaign directed against Trump, is taking the same approach in the gubernatorial race.
“What we need is new ideas, a willingness to take on dangerous leaders and their corrupt enablers,” Porter said in a campaign launch video that accompanied her announcement on X. As the candidate talked, photos of Trump, Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Vice President J.D. Vance and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared on the screen.
Porter said in the video that she would fight to keep Trump from hurting Californians. She accused the Republican president of holding back disaster relief, attacking Californians’ rights and pushing for tax cuts for corporations. As she said she wouldn’t let Trump hurt working families to benefit himself “and his cronies,” there was a video clip of a protester holding a sign, “Hands off Social Security!”
Porter stressed her support for immigrant communities and abortion and LGBTQ rights. She said she would tackle the challenges of high housing and grocery prices, climate change and health care.
Porter lost the 2024 California primary for the U.S. Senate race to Schiff, a Burbank Democrat who was in the U.S. House at the time, and Republican candidate and former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey. Schiff went on to defeat Garvey in the general election.
