Could it be? Is it possible that, after all these years, another Republican governor is about to lead the state of California? Say it isn’t so, say Democrats…but it is possible. Sitting atop the latest survey of leading Democratic and Republican candidates to replace Gov. Hair Gel McFailure are Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News personality Steve Hilton, with newly declared Democratic candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell up there as well.
You know who’s sinking like a rock, though? The unhinged former Rep. Katie Porter, who was at the top of the heap until her crazy caught up with her:
Former Rep. Katie Porter is sinking in the polls as the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom gets downright claustrophobic.
Support for Porter, the former Orange County congresswoman who’s been labeled a tyrant by a former staffer and her ex-husband, has slipped to 11% of voters surveyed by Emerson College in a new poll released Thursday.
The poll suggests splintering support for Porter and others in the crowded primary field after the entry of East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer, the billionaire climate activist.
Since October, we’ve watched Katie Porter’s quest to become California’s first female governor implode under a steady stream of opposition hits. One video after another shows her snapping at reporters and berating staff, revealing just how entitled and volatile she becomes the moment she’s pressed, asked a tough question, or confronted with a follow-up she doesn’t like.
Porter’s abusive treatment of her staffers — and even her own ex-husband — underscores that she’s not just a bad candidate, but a deeply unpleasant person to work with. And it’s not just Republicans saying it. She’s broadly disliked inside her own party.
California Democratic power brokers, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, have made it abundantly clear they are not on Team Porter. Their cold shoulder speaks volumes about how unlikely she is to win (because no matter how horrible a person Porter is, if the Democrat power brokers thought she could win, they’d stick to her like glue).
The Bay Area Cabal opposes Porter because she is not a team player. In 2023 Porter preempted the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, then 89 years old, announcing her senate campaign. Feinstein’s forced retirement offended Feinstein and the Democrat establishment that only whispered Feinstein’s health had been declining for a decade, when they first offered to Feinstein to again run for governor in 2010 and open her seat for Newsom. Her colleague, former Senator Barbara Boxer is also from the Bay, retired in 2016 and was succeeded by Harris.
Porter’s additional offenses are enumerated by former Democrat Representative Harley Rouda in the Orange County Register. In addition to describing Porter as an abusive self-centered “bully with a white board,” Rouda criticized Porter for barely winning a seat redistricted for her, costing Democrats a congressional seat in Los Angeles (CA-27; Loss), and potentially two more in Orange County (CA-47; Hold and SD-37; Loss). As one of the most junior of the elderly California delegation, and a competitive district, Porter was supposed to “wait her turn.”
Above all Porter does not follow orders. Speaker Emerita Pelosi is the party boss, was close to Feinstein, and selected then Representative Adam Schiff as Feinstein’s successor. Although a backbencher from Southern California, Schiff was senior, his seat safe, and gained prominence opposing the first Trump Administration. Porter eventually finished third for U.S. Senate with 15% of the vote and then broke silence against California’s “rigged” political machine that included Schiff promoting Republican Steve Garvey.
At this point, it’s almost certain California Democrats themselves greenlit the avalanche of oppo hits against Porter. When that still didn’t sink her fast enough, in swooped Eric Swalwell as a spoiler — and he’s doing an impressive job of souring the whole field.
But again, the real story isn’t how horrible Porter is and how fast she has sunk, it’s that Republican candidates are polling as high as they are. Upset in California next year? We can only hope.