Is there someone behind the drip of damaging videos of California Democrat gubernatorial candidate and former congresswoman Katie Porter? The evidence lines up, as RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar has pointed out. Two prominent California Democrats, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and former California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, dropped out of the 2026 gubernatorial race, and rumors are flying throughout the state that Sen. Alex "Jose" Padilla (D-CA) may throw his hat in the ring. Everything is lining up here for him, as Porter gets drowned in criticism, rightfully so, and with the two prominent Democrats dropping out, Padilla has an open path to finish top two in the gubernatorial primary race.
Here is part of the interview:
Someone who used to work with Katie Porter sent me this clip from a train-wreck interview with her and said, “Now imagine what she’s like when there aren’t cameras around.” pic.twitter.com/OCF73BrUg1
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 8, 2025
That interview is the result of Porter never being interviewed by an actual journalist until that moment. When she is asked basic, but real questions, she already falters. If she can't answer simple questions, how can she govern the fourth-largest economy in the world? Furthermore, all she was asked was how she could build a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents that she would need to win, especially if it was against another Democrat. She not only refused to answer that question but also berated the journalist for daring to ask.
That goes to show the kind of governor Porter would be. Unhinged, radical, and pushing her leftist ideologies, all while Californians deal with high housing and construction costs, high gas prices, and high electricity bills, among other things. She would be a governor of the few, while the rest of us would suffer from her lunatic policies.
Here is the footage from 2021 that was recently released by Politico.
Warning for graphic language:
Exclusive from @melmason on Katie Porter, who berates a staffer and tells her to “get out of my fucking shot!” while recording a video with the Biden administration.
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) October 8, 2025
The video + story — scooped by @politico👇🏼https://t.co/WENFsRlkwC pic.twitter.com/47dQ3n6nWJ
This is nothing new. Porter has abused her staff for years, but now that she is running for governor, more of it is being exposed. This is the real Porter, and Californians deserve to see and know her real side, well before the primary election.
Katie Porter says her 12 year old daughter was crying on election night because Trump won and asked her,
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) October 9, 2025
"What if I get r*ped and I need to have an abortion?"
This woman is obsessed with abortion. pic.twitter.com/vkloDmnC30
Californians dodged former Vice President Kamala Harris, but believe it or not, Porter would be worse than Harris. Just picture how bad Gavin Newsom's tenure has been as governor, multiply that by two, and you get Porter.
Padilla, who has not yet announced a run for governor, has been mulling it for some time, and as of August, did not rule out a 2026 effort:
EXCLUSIVE: The rumor mill is hitting overdrive that Sen. Alex Padilla is contemplating a bid for California governor — and Padilla is not ruling out a run, according to a person familiar with his thinking.https://t.co/zZu0iGpuFE
— POLITICO (@politico) August 26, 2025
At this point, anybody would be better than Porter; however, Padilla is not much better. Two main GOP candidates have currently announced that they are running for governor -- Steve Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco. Hilton has been leading Bianco in the polls, which, if that holds through the primaries, will advance him to the general election.
In terms of Democrats, not many have a chance to oust Porter, aside from Padilla and, potentially, entrepreneur and real estate developer Rick Caruso. If Caruso decides to get in the race for governor instead of the mayoral race in Los Angeles, he would by far be the best Democrat this state could elect to become governor.
The one positive news out of all this could be if Californians begin to sour on Porter and reject her from becoming governor, just like they rejected her in her Senate bid.
Newsom's disastrous tenure as governor is coming to an end, and California voters need to be smart about who they elect as their next executive. Caruso would be great, Hilton or Bianco would be great. But if none of those options win, virtually anybody currently in the race or potentially entering the race would be a better option than Porter.
