Katie Porter breaks silence on damaging viral videos: ‘Not going to back down’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Katie Porter admits missteps after viral videos and vows to regain trust
- Porter apologized to staff, declined to confirm if more tapes exist
- Democrats weigh fallout as rivals and supporters mobilize around her candidacy
Embattled candidate Katie Porter said she “could have handled things better” in a pair of viral videos that shook up the California governor’s race.
But she plans to remain “focused on earning” back trust and votes in the race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom next year.
“When I look at those videos, I want people to know that I understand that I could have handled things better,” Porter said on clips from Fox 40’s “Inside California Politics” posted Tuesday afternoon.
“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,” she told host Nikki Laurenzo. “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 broke her weeklong silence following a pair of embarrassing viral videos in which she threatened to walk out of an interview with a television reporter and used expletives to berate a staff member.
The former congresswoman said she had apologized to the staff member in the video obtained by Politico but when pressed by Laurenzo, the candidate could not say whether or not other videos might surface in which she loses her temper.
“I can tell you what I’ve told you, which is that I am taking responsibility for this situation and I’m also not going to back down from fighting back for California,” Porter said.
An uncertain path in the governor’s race
The Orange County Democrat had been considered a frontrunner in the open governor’s race since she announced her campaign earlier this spring. But the aftermath of the videos left many Democrats cringing, Republican candidates pouncing, and political observers wondering how voters would respond.
At least one of Porter’s fellow Democratic opponents, former state Controller Betty Yee, has called on her to drop out of the race, citing concerns that Porter’s reputation could have “a chilling effect” on down-ballot Democrats during a critical midterm election year.
Yee, who also served as vice chair of the state Democratic Party, said grassroots activists from around the state, particularly in swing districts, had raised concerns about how Porter’s temperament would play.
“As Republicans in these districts talk about their hopes of being able to keep the House and to win the governor’s seat because Democrats have a weak candidate at the top of the ticket, that’s something to pay attention to,” Yee told reporters Tuesday.
While Porter remained silent in the days after the videos went viral, her supporters doubled down, painting her as a fighter unafraid to back down.
“In this critical moment in our country, we don’t need to be polite, go along to get along, establishment politicians that keep getting run over by the opposition,” Peter Finn and Chris Griswold, co-chairs of the California Teamsters said in a statement last week. “We need strong leaders like Katie Porter that are willing to call it like it is and stand up and fight for everyday Californians.”
Porter hits the trail again
Later Tuesday, Porter participated in a virtual meeting with the California Working Families Party, where she again expressed remorse over the videos and answered questions in hopes of earning the progressive party’s endorsement.
“This is not a moment when California needs a governor who will sit quietly by and rubber stamp what comes in front of them,” she said. “We need a governor who’s willing to fight for Californians, who’s clear eyed about who is being hurt by Donald Trump and … what’s at stake if California doesn’t bring down costs.”
While she declined to directly endorse progressive wishlist items like a 1% tax on income above $50 million, stronger local rent control and single-payer health care, Porter said she would look into a new universal free childcare program rolling out in New Mexico to see “what lessons California could learn from it.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Katie Porter breaks silence on damaging viral videos: ‘Not going to back down’."
