A California gubernatorial candidate has apologized after being caught on tape yelling at a staffer and getting abrasive with a reporter.
Former California Rep. Katie Porter expressed regret in a Tuesday interview with KTLA’s Inside California Politics after she got pummeled for her short temper, which was exposed in two videos that quickly went viral.
“When I look at those videos, I want people to know that I understand that I could have handled things better,” she said. “I think I’m known as someone who’s able to handle tough questions, who’s willing to answer questions, and I want people to know that I really value the incredible work that my staff can do. People who know me know I can be tough, but I need to do a better job expressing appreciation for the amazing work that my team does.”
Porter first stirred controversy when she stormed out of an interview with CBS News over relatively straightforward questions that the network had also asked other gubernatorial candidates.
In footage that surfaced last week, the interview quickly went off the rails after journalist Julie Watts asked Porter how she expected to secure the support of Republican voters in her bid to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“What do you say to the 40 percent of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” Watts asked.
“How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter replied curtly.
After a tense back-and-forth that Porter described as “unnecessarily argumentative,” she began taking off her microphone and got up to leave.
“I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you, and I don’t want this all on camera,” Porter told Watts. She later sat back down to finish the interview.
Shortly after the chaotic CBS clip made the rounds on social media, another video popped up, dealing a second blow to Porter’s campaign.
In a video obtained by Politico, Porter lost it at a staffer who interrupted her online conversation with then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in 2021.
“Get out of my f—ing shot!” Porter growled at the staffer, who proceeded to correct something she had said about electric vehicles.
“You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot,” she said before resuming the conversation.
On Tuesday, Porter refused to provide a straightforward answer when asked repeatedly by KTLA’s Nikki Laurenzo whether California voters should expect more shocking videos to come out.
“Well, what I know is that I could have done better in those moments,” she said. “I’m going to be focused on earning their votes and earning their trust… that’s what I’m going to continue to do, to show Californians not only that I understand their problems, but that I have the will and the strength of character to actually get something done about them.”
“I’m in this race to make sure that we have a governor who’s not going to sit back, who’s not going to sit quietly, because we are in a moment where we have to tackle our affordability crisis, and we have to withstand the harms that Trump is throwing at California,” she added.
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