NewsNation will feature Nexstar’s “Debate Night in California: The Race for Governor” on Wednesday, April 22, with special coverage starting at 8p/7C, livestreamed by The Hill.
(NewsNation) — Former Rep. Katie Porter is running for California governor in a crowded field this upcoming primary election.
Because of the state of California’s term limits, current Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run for reelection.
Porter is is 1 of 6 candidates invited to Nexstar’s “Debate Night in California: The Race for Governor” on Wednesday.
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The California primary election will be held June 2, and early voting begins May 4.
Here’s what to know about Katie Porter:
Who is Katie Porter?
Porter was a former representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 2019 to 2025 and representing California’s 45th and 47th Districts in her first and second terms, respectively.
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She graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School and has taught law at several universities, including the University of California, Irvine and in her native Iowa at the University of Iowa.
Why is Katie Porter running?
Porter established her campaign on making California more affordable for working-class families and ensuring Californians get affordable health care.
“In Congress, I was only ever motivated by one thing: making Californians’ lives better. That won’t change when I am governor,” Porter said on her campaign site. “I’ll fight to rein in costs for Californians, expand economic opportunity so families can better tackle inflation, and fight Trump Administration policies like counterproductive tariffs that will only hit you in the pocketbook with higher prices for necessities and make the problem worse.”
What are Katie Porter’s key running points?
Affordable health care:
Porter’s campaign points include ensuring everyone has access to health care, citing her time in Congress, where she helped pass a law that would prevent health insurance companies from denying care and curb price gouging on medications.
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Lowering costs:
Porter’s campaign focuses on lowering the cost of living in the state to provide families with relief from high grocery prices and the effects of the Trump administration’s tariffs.
“I’ll fight to rein in costs for Californians, expand economic opportunity so families can better tackle inflation, and fight Trump Administration policies like counterproductive tariffs that will only hit you in the pocketbook with higher prices for necessities and make the problem worse,” she wrote on her campaign site.
Clean energy:
Porter pointed to her opposition to the Trump administration’s push to expand offshore drilling and pledged to fight to protect wildlands and oceans.
“I will fight to ensure that California remains on the front-edge of clean energy innovation and technology so California can be the first state to achieve 100% renewable energy output, 365 days a year,” she said.
A new Nexstar Media Group–Emerson College poll shows a competitive field in the California governor’s race, with Steve Hilton leading at 17%, followed by Tom Steyer and Chad Bianco at 14%. The survey was conducted April 14–15 among 1,000 likely voters. (NewsNation)
Where does Katie Porter stand in polling?
Porter received 10% of voter support in an April poll commissioned by Nexstar Media Group and conducted by Emerson College Polling, just behind other Democrats in the race, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer.
She got 8% of the vote in April’s SurveyUSA poll and 10% in a March poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California.