Tipsheet

Hey, Katie Porter, I'm Not Sure You Can Say That About Tom Steyer

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 12, 2026 6:50 AM

Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) is having difficulty in her gubernatorial campaign. She strongly urged now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to withdraw after multiple reports of sexual misconduct and rape. Her efforts paid off—Swalwell not only stepped down from the race but also left public life. His career was essentially destroyed over a single weekend last month. 

Did that make things easier for her in this crowded California governor's race? No. In fact, she’s barely reaching double digits in some polls. While for some in this state, the ‘D’ next to their name is enough to win most races. For an expensive statewide race, there’s no guarantee, especially with stronger Democratic competition and solid Republican candidates. Everyone has baggage: Tom Steyer is Mr. private prison, and Xavier Becerra was known to be a terrible HHS secretary under Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Porter is still grappling with questions of character and temperament. 

Ms. Porter is accused of domestic abuse, with stories of pouring scalding hot potatoes on her ex-husband, yelling at staffers during interviews, and struggling to handle softball interviews. That infamous clip of her yelling at a staffer was, at least according to Ms. Porter, the result of Tom Steyer’s doing. It also doesn’t help that she often jumps to conclusions, because even she couldn’t say for sure. Instead, she offered a ‘people are saying’ line when pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash.

And here's a trip down memory lane regarding this Porter circus:

Yeah, another brutal outing for her.