Katie Porter

Overview

Katie Porter is a consumer protection attorney and law professor who built her career studying bankruptcy and financial regulation. She teaches at UC Irvine School of Law and worked under prominent consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren. Porter rose to national prominence after flipping a Republican-held Orange County congressional seat in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in decades.

In Congress, Porter became known for: Aggressive oversight of corporate executives and federal officials, viral use of whiteboards to explain complex financial issues, and strong alignment with progressive economic policies. Katie is a single mother of three kids. She lives with her family in Irvine, California.

Education

• Yale University: B.A. in American Studies (cum laude), 1996
• Harvard Law School: J.D. (magna cum laude), 2001. She was a student of Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Academic Career: A tenured Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She has also taught at the University of Iowa, UNLV, and as a visiting professor at Harvard and UC Berkeley
• Professional Background: Served as a law clerk for Judge Richard Arnold (8th Circuit) and practiced consumer law at Stoel Rives LLP

Positions Held

• U.S. House of Representatives (2019–2025): Represented California's 45th and 47th districts
• California Monitor (2012–2014): Appointed by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris to oversee the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement, ensuring banks provided relief to California homeowners after the 2008 financial crisis
• Consumer Advocate: Worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the World Bank

Why She's Running

Katie Porter is running to be a "watchdog governor"—someone who translates her national reputation for confronting powerful interests into state leadership focused on lowering costs, protecting rights, and restoring trust that government can work for everyday people.

Key Campaign Priorities

1. Affordability & Cost of Living

• Lowering Costs: Proposes eliminating state income taxes for households earning less than $100,000 annually
• Housing: Aims to address the housing crisis by reducing red tape and increasing construction to reduce costs. Advocates for federal investment in "abundant" housing. Supports legalizing multi-family housing near transit (SB 79), increasing Section 8 vouchers, and cracking down on "Wall Street" investors in residential real estate
• Healthcare: Advocates for single-payer healthcare and lowering costs for prescriptions. Champion of "Medicare for All" and lowering prescription drug costs. Authored laws to prevent insurers from wrongfully denying care and passed legislation to strengthen mental health treatment for first responders
• Education: Making college years 3 and 4 at UC systems free to expand on previous administration free community college

2. Climate

• Expanding renewable clean energy. Served on the House Natural Resources Committee. Focuses on defending clean air laws, expanding clean energy, and protecting public lands from corporate exploitation

3. Revenue

• Supports increasing taxes on corporations and high-income earners to fund public programs

4. Childcare

• Strong advocate for implementing free access to childcare. Frames childcare as "economic infrastructure." Advocates for universal childcare and paid family leave, arguing that these investments are essential for workforce participation and global competitiveness

5. Veteran Support

• Supports increased funding for the VA, expanded mental health resources, and housing programs specifically targeted at ending veteran homelessness

Endorsements

Labor and Professional Organizations:

For latest updates, visit: katieporter.com/news

Campaign Financing

Porter emphasizes a "people-powered" funding model. Her 2026 campaign reports:

• Small-Dollar Donors: Claims to accept no money from federal corporate PACs. Her average contribution is approximately $68
• Fundraising Totals: As of early 2026, she has raised over $6.1 million for the governor's race, maintaining one of the highest "cash on hand" totals among Democratic candidates

Foreign Policy: Israel and the Middle East

Porter's positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict have evolved over time:

• Bilateral Ceasefire: Initially supported Israel's right to defend itself without calling for a ceasefire; however, in late 2023, she moved to support a "lasting bilateral ceasefire" conditional on the release of all hostages and a shift toward a two-state solution
• Iran: Takes a relatively "hawkish" stance compared to some progressives, calling for stronger accountability for the Iranian government due to its support of regional terrorism
• Human Rights & Aid: Has questioned the State Department regarding potential human rights violations and the vetting of military aid (Leahy Law), insisting that "there is no exception for human rights" in U.S. foreign policy

Political Assessment

Congressional Voting Record

GovTrack

Missed Votes: "From Jan 2019 to Dec 2024, Porter missed 175 of 3,193 roll call votes, which is 5.5%." The median of representatives serving in Dec 2024 was 2.2%.

• April 2023 through March 2024: the percent of votes missed began rising, from 8.4% to as high as 18.3%. This coincided with her 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Dianne Feinstein.
• November and December 2024: the percent of votes missed spiked to almost 65%. This coincided with the end of her term as U.S. Representative for California's 47th Congressional District. Not long after finishing her term, she announced her intent to run for governor in 2026.