Former Rep. Katie Porter, a Democratic candidate for California governor, grew visibly frustrated during an interview with CBS Sacramento after repeated questions about whether she would need support from Californians who voted for President Donald Trump.
In footage released Monday, reporter Julie Watts asked Porter what she would say to the California voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“What do you say to the 40% 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, turning to the side and laughing. She went on to say that in a general election against a Republican, she believes she would win the people who did not vote for Trump.
When Watts pressed further, asking what if she faced another Democrat instead, Porter replied, “I don’t intend that to be the case,” adding that she has “the support already in terms of name recognition, and so I’m going to do the very best I can to make sure that we get through this primary in a really strong position.”
In California’s open primary system, all candidates — no matter their party — appear on the same ballot, and the two with the most votes move on to the general election.
Porter said she had previously won in a closely divided Orange County congressional district and could persuade conservative voters.
“I have stood on my own two feet and have won Republican votes before. That is not something every candidate in this race can say,” she continued.
When Watts followed up, reminding Porter that she had just said she doesn’t need those Trump voters, Porter appeared irritated.
“I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?” Porter said during the exchange.
Watts replied that she had posed the same questions to other gubernatorial candidates.
“I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” Porter said, taking issue with Watts asking multiple follow-up questions.
“I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation,” she said. “And if every question you’re going to make up a follow-up question, then we’re never going to get there.”
“I have never had to do this before, ever,” Porter continued.
Porter’s campaign said the interview continued for another 20 minutes after the exchange.
The back-and-forth quickly spread online Tuesday and prompted criticism from several of Porter’s opponents in the 2026 race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I’m not interested in excluding any vote,” former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra posted on X. “Every Californian deserves affordable health care, safe streets, a roof over their head and a living wage.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond called on CBS and Watts to host a debate saying, “If you’re running for gov., then you should be available to answer tough questions from reporters.” In a separate post, he added: “No candidate for governor should hide from the press or mistreat them — we owe it to the public to be transparent. If she can’t answer basic questions from a reporter, how can Californians expect her to stand up to President Trump?”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, “We need a leader who will solve hard problems and answer simple questions.”
Porter, a UC Irvine law professor, flipped a Republican-held congressional seat in Orange County in 2018 during a Democratic sweep that sent only Democrats to Washington that year. She announced her campaign for governor in March after leaving Congress in January, following an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid in which she finished third in the primary behind Sen. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey.
Porter’s exchange with Watts was part of a series of CBS Sacramento interviews with declared gubernatorial candidates. Other Democrats running include Becerra, Thurmond, Villaraigosa, former Assemblymember Ian Calderon, businessman Stephen Cloobeck and former state Controller Betty Yee. Republican candidates include former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.