California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter attempted to recreate former Vice President Kamala Harris’ viral “I’m speaking” moment during Tuesday’s governors debate, as candidates were questioned on their plans to address the state’s property insurance crisis, as companies increasingly refuse to insure homes due to the state's wildfire risk.
NEW: California gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco torches Katie Porter after she apparently tried recreating Kamala Harris' "I'm speaking" moment.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 29, 2026
The moment came while the candidates were being questioned about California's insurance crisis.
Porter: "I'm speaking."
Bianco:… pic.twitter.com/kWrIv52VkG
Many viewers said the moment was reminiscent of the exchange between former Vice President Kamala Harris and Mike Pence during the 2020 vice presidential debate.
"Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking." Kamala Harris's response to Mike Pence has already inspired merchandise being sold online — variations of it have showed up on T-shirts, mugs, face masks and laptop decals. https://t.co/2EW0rSoiuB pic.twitter.com/VgbobGyOTn
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 8, 2020
Although for Porter, it didn't land as well.
The exchange erupted when Katie Porter began criticizing California’s FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort for wildfire-prone homes, calling it a “huge financial liability.” Republican candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco interrupted, describing the FAIR Plan as a “single payer” system and arguing that her proposal is, in effect, no different from the existing system she criticized.
Porter’s plan to “insure the insurers” through state-backed reinsurance was dismissed by Bianco as another version of the same big-government approach. He argued that this reliance on government intervention, rather than addressing the underlying issues driving insurers out of the market, is why California’s homeowners insurance system is failing, not a solution to it.
"Yeah, I was walking in here tonight, and I was asked the most strange question ever by a CBS reporter that said, are you afraid of tonight? And my answer was I'm not afraid of anything. I'm truly not. But actually, I'm terrified that one of these people are going to be your next governor and these kids are all going to have to move," Bianco said. "This is absolutely ridiculous. We're lying to everyone. We're not taking responsibility for failed Democrat policies that have brought us here. The FAIR plan is 100 percent a single-payer, and it is a failure, absolute failure. So we're not going to medical because it's the same thing."
"The insurance companies left because the insurance companies can't be forced into bankruptcy by the state. They told the state it wasn't global warming," he continued. "Stop believing that. It was a failed environmental policy that doesn't allow fire departments to prevent defensible space around our homes or clear out the brush for 30 years, that are building in those in our mountains and in our hills that took out a city. They specifically said we were going to lose a city, and our governor said we don't care. And so the insurance companies left."
This comes as the state’s gubernatorial field remains crowded, with seven Democrats and two Republicans vying for the top two spots to advance to the general election. Currently, dark horse candidate and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is leading the Democratic field, while Republican Steve Hilton is leading overall. Bianco, for his part, is holding his own, typically polling within the top five and ahead of several Democrats.
Eric Swalwell, once the Democratic frontrunner, has dropped out of the race following a series of sexual assault allegations. Other Democrats are struggling to gain traction.
Becerra’s lead is largely attributed to support from Gov. Newsom’s base, while progressive billionaire Tom Steyer is also surging in the polls. Katie Porter initially polled well but faced setbacks after videos surfaced showing her treatment of staff, and following an interview in which she erupted at a reporter for asking follow-up questions.
The primary is set to be held on June 2.
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