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Katie Porter's Support Nosedives in California Gubernatorial Race Following Viral Outbursts

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  December 05, 2025 2:00 PM

Katie Porter, the former California congresswoman now seeking to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026, has seen her campaign spiral as new polling shows her sliding sharply following a series of viral videos depicting her berating staff — and the entrance of Rep. Eric Swalwell and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer into the race.

Before October, Porter saw around 17 percent support from California voters as she led in the polling, but that has since fallen to around 11 percent. 

“Upon entering the race, Swalwell splits the Democratic vote with Porter, 20% supporting Swalwell and 17% Porter,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement. “Republican voters are split between Bianco and Hilton, at 33% and 30%, while a plurality of independents, 45%, are undecided.”

California voters have an overall negative view of Porter, with 30 percent of voters seeing her favorably, compared to 34 percent unfavorable and 37 percent with no opinion. 

Porter, who has been described by staffers and her ex-husband as a tyrant, gained notoriety after several viral videos showed her becoming aggressive and verbally attacking both reporters and members of her own campaign.

In response to a question about appealing to Trump voters in California, Porter threatened to end an interview with CBS News reporter Julie Watts because she was upset that a reporter would have follow-up questions during the interview process.

In another clip, Porter berated a staffer during a virtual event, yelling, “Get out of my f**king shot!” after the staffer appeared over her shoulder.