Tipsheet

Katie Porter Falls Flat in California's Gubernatorial Race

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  June 03, 2026 3:45 PM

Former Congresswoman Katie Porter may have expected to be anointed California’s next governor, but the state's primary delivered quite a harsh reality for the Democrat as she conceded in a video message Tuesday night.

"Hi, it's Katie Porter. Tonight is election night. The votes are still being counted, and it may take a few days here in California to have final numbers, but we know tonight that we will not advance to the general election in November," Porter said. "But as I look back on this race, I am so incredibly proud of the campaign that we built together." 

"As I look back on this race, I am so incredibly proud of the campaign that we built together. Together, we talked about the issues that were important to California, particularly affordability and bringing down costs, including making housing the top issue in our campaign because it's the top expense for most California families. Talking about taking on Donald Trump, abolishing ICE, standing up for the rights of every single Californian," she said.

"I also want to say thank you to Californians who opened up their homes for me, to come talk to their friends and neighbors about this campaign, to businesses who let me tour, learn more about their industry, talk to their employees, to nonprofits who shared the challenges that they face and the way that they're solving problems," Porter continued. "And I want to say thank you to the other candidates for running spirited races, for having good debates about important issues. That's really what democracy is about. Running a race like this isn't easy, and coming up short is hard, but democracy is worth doing hard things for. Stay in the fight, stay in touch, and thank you for believing in me."

Despite her campaign and an initial position as one of the race’s top contenders, Porter didn’t even garner over five percent of the vote, finishing at around 4.6 percent, according to voting data from the Associated Press.

"I don't think there'll be much peace in her household," Republican candidate Steve Hilton said of her concession. "I don't know if we want to be within throwing distance this morning when you see those numbers."

This comes as Porter’s campaign was hit by a major controversy earlier this year, after videos surfaced of her berating campaign staff and snapping during interviews. She also struggled to stand out in gubernatorial debates and, at times, made awkward jokes about the infamous videos, attempting to give them a positive spin.

Porter quickly fell behind in the polling, as Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer surpassed her to become the Democratic favorites in the race. 

Votes are still being counted, but as of Wednesday morning, Republican Steve Hilton leads the race, with Becerra and Steyer not far behind.