Katie Porter, the former Democratic congress member from Orange County who became a progressive star with her vigorous interrogations during committee hearings, is running for governor of California.
After months of hinting that she would run, Porter formally launched her 2026 gubernatorial campaign today with a video posted to social media in which she touts her independence from corporate interests and lambastes President Donald Trump.
鈥淚 first ran for office to hold Trump accountable. I feel that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians,鈥� Porter said in the video. 鈥淎s governor, I won鈥檛 ever back down when Trump hurts Californians 鈥� whether he鈥檚 holding up disaster relief, attacking our rights or our communities, or screwing over working families to benefit himself and his cronies.鈥�
Her announcement follows just a year after her . That race ended acrimoniously when Porter, who finished a distant third in the primary, called the election 鈥渞igged by billionaires,鈥� for which she .
But the national exposure has helped make her an immediate frontrunner to replace the termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom.
since last fall show Porter with a clear lead over other announced and expected gubernatorial candidates. She also begins with left over from her Senate campaign 鈥� though the race for governor could ultimately require tens of millions of dollars in fundraising.
Porter, who flipped a Republican seat in 2018, left Congress in January after three terms and returned to teaching at the UC Irvine School of Law.
Porter aims to protect Californians from Trump
Though she鈥檚 touting 鈥渇resh blood and new ideas,鈥� her platform is so far light on specifics. In her campaign launch video, Porter mentions protecting abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and immigrant communities and never letting 鈥渂ig banks, Big Pharma or Big Oil screw people over.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e only ever been motivated by one thing: Making Californians鈥� lives better,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檒l go toe-to-toe with anyone who tries to hurt Californians. Because that鈥檚 what it means to have the courage to solve our toughest problems.鈥�
Her focus on the ongoing ideological and political clashes between California and the federal government could position Porter as the state鈥檚 leading anti-Trump voice as Newsom instead tries to curry favor with the president to in Los Angeles. Fewer than a third of adults in heavily Democratic California.
That might bolster Porter in a 鈥� Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Controller Betty Yee 鈥� have so far mostly leaned into their personal biographies and messaging about affordability.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has already more than a half dozen times, recently announced that he would forgo a run for governor and seek re-election.
Candidates wait for Harris decision
But the possibility that former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November, could still enter the field looms large. Politico that Harris plans to decide by this summer whether she will run for governor 鈥� a decision that would likely force other candidates out of the race because of her advantages in fundraising and name ID.
The June 2026 gubernatorial primary is an open election from which the top two candidates will advance to a runoff, regardless of their party affiliation. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, and moderate Democrat Stephen Cloobeck, the founder of a timeshare company, are among the other announced candidates.