Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter launched her bid for California governor on Tuesday, hoping a promise of “fresh blood and new ideas” will help her overcome challenges that plagued her U.S. Senate campaign last year.
The 2026 field is already crowded with Democratic hopefuls, including former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former State Controller Betty Yee.
Porter carries clear advantages into the race. She has a defined image forged through a hard-fought win for the Orange County seat in 2018. In Congress, she exhibited a penchant for grilling high-profile witnesses, such as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, in hearings on Capitol Hill.
And Porter has demonstrated the ability to raise the enormous sums needed for a statewide campaign.