Former Democratic U.S. House member Katie Porter announced on Tuesday that she is running for California governor in the 2026 election. She joins a crowded group of candidates, although the race could change if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.
Porter, who gained attention on social media for using a whiteboard to challenge CEOs during congressional hearings, vowed in her campaign launch video to be a strong opponent to former President Donald Trump’s administration. She emphasized that, as governor, she would stand firm against Trump, especially in areas where California has had significant disagreements with the White House, including water management and immigrant rights.
“In Congress, I held the Trump administration accountable for its actions against Americans. As governor, I’ll continue to fight when Trump’s actions harm Californians—whether it’s delaying disaster relief, attacking our rights, or exploiting working families for his benefit and that of his allies,” Porter stated.
The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has already attracted a large group of declared and potential candidates, but the field could be dramatically altered if Kamala Harris decides to run for the state’s top office.
Kamala Harris, a former California attorney general and U.S. senator, has not ruled out running for governor since leaving Washington in January following a failed presidential campaign. Katie Porter, who has a good relationship with Harris, has said she would step aside if Harris decides to enter the race. In 2012, Harris, then the state’s attorney general, appointed Porter as the independent bank monitor for a multibillion-dollar nationwide mortgage settlement.
Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney noted that if Harris joins the race, “very few politicians would want to challenge her.” He added that Harris would likely win the Democratic nomination, and Democrats are expected to maintain control of the governorship.
Katie Porter, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate last year and is known for her strong small-dollar fundraising, has emerged as one of the most prominent candidates in the race for California governor. She joins former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, among others, in the Democratic field.
Democrats are expected to easily retain the governorship in a state where they outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1. Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in California in almost two decades.
On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco became the first major GOP candidate to announce his run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose term ends in early January 2027. Bianco criticized Democrats for the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis and rising housing costs.
Even if Harris enters the race, California’s open primary system can make things unpredictable. All candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same ballot, with only the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election. This system could allow for a Trump-aligned GOP candidate to generate conservative support or a wealthy contender to disrupt the expected outcome.
“These open primaries are difficult to predict,” said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta. “It makes forecasting much harder.”
Porter, a progressive favorite, faced backlash online after her loss in the 2024 Senate race, where she blamed “billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” She finished third in the primary, behind Democrat Adam Schiff (now a U.S. senator) and Republican Steve Garvey, and did not make it to the November election.
Some drew parallels between her comments and Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud in 2020. Porter later clarified that she did not believe the California vote count or election process had been compromised but maintained that her use of the term “rigged” referred to manipulation through dishonest means.
Since leaving her Southern California House district in January, Porter has been an active fundraiser and returned to teaching at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law.
A consumer protection attorney before her time in Congress, Porter became known for her sharp questioning of business leaders and other witnesses, often using a whiteboard to simplify complex numbers while criticizing corporate greed in clear terms.
Elected to Congress in 2018, Porter said in her campaign video, “I first ran for office to hold Trump accountable. I feel that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians.”