FILE: House Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat from California, speaks at the “Just Majority” Supreme Court press conference in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2023. 

Katie Porter, a former U.S. House representative and a leading 2026 gubernatorial candidate, has captured attention online after an interview segment surfaced of her reaction to a reporter’s questions.

Julie Watts, an investigative reporter from CBS News, invited 11 gubernatorial candidates running to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom for a 30-minute segment to ask where they stand on Proposition 50, California’s redistricting plan, which voters are set to decide on this November.

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Throughout the segment, Watts pushed back on all of the candidates, often asking follow-up questions. Porter, a Democrat, grew noticeably annoyed by the reporter when asked what she would say to the 6 million California voters who voted for Donald Trump in 2024. 

“How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter replied, leaning forward and laughing, which led to a back-and-forth between the two over whether or not Porter would need Republican votes to secure her win.

Porter, who is also a law professor at UC Irvine, appeared confident that she would sail on to the general election with just the Democratic vote, seemingly ignoring the Trump voting population. Watts, in response, inquired further if Porter were to face a Democrat in the general election, thus splitting the vote. Based on California’s top-two primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, meaning it could come down to two........

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