Democrat former Rep. Katie Porter, running for California governor, had a bizarre meltdown during a pre-recorded interview with CBS Sacramento affiliate KOVR-TV reporter Julie Watts that was released Monday and went viral Tuesday.
Porter served three terms in Congress, from 2019 to 2025, leaving her House seat to run what turned out to be a losing Senate bid in the 2024 jungle primary. Porter, who became notable for her use of a whiteboard in House hearings, is currently the leading candidate for governor–polling around 20 percent support in a crowded field of Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents.
Watts interviewed eleven candidates running in next year’s jungle primary for governor to be held on June 2. The two top vote getters regardless of party advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.
The candidates were asked the same questions, with Porter melting down over being asked if she needs the votes of the forty percent of Californians who voted for President Donald Trump last year.
The video report on the candidate interviews was released Monday. A preview of the Porter interview that was edited right before the meltdown–but shows her laughing at the idea she would need any Trump supporter’s vote to win–was released in mid-September:
When Katie Porter is our next governor here in CA, it will make us long for the days of the evil Gavin Newsom. She’s a lot like him, only dumber.
How are Democrats not enraged that she overtly states here that she plans to make sure she runs in the general against a Republican?! pic.twitter.com/oc9hmVQ5kC
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) September 19, 2025
In the longer segment released Monday, Porter threatened to walk out, saying she did not want to have an “unhappy experience with you and I don’t want this on camera.” The reporter Julie Watts tried to calm down Porter–who at one point raised her hands to Watts–assuring her that she too did not want to have an “unhappy experience.”
It was a bizarre scene, like in a movie where the nurse is trying to calm the agitated mental patient in the psyche ward before she picks up a tray and bashes her in the head.
Katie Porter, the front runner to be the next Governor of California, tries to leave an interview after getting frustrated w/ @juliewattsTV questions pic.twitter.com/mTzZURG86K
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 8, 2025
Indeed, a 2023 New York Post report about Porter’s ex-husband filing for divorce in 2013 shows he accused her of pouring scalding hot mashed potatoes on his head during an argument (excerpt):
Rep. Katie Porter scalded ex-husband’s scalp with potatoes: documents https://t.co/PRd2wH08sE pic.twitter.com/AKYXS6juFO
— New York Post (@nypost) April 13, 2023
The former husband of Rep. Katie Porter said the California Democrat frequently abused him verbally and threw “toys, books and other objects” at him during their marriage — even pouring scalding-hot mashed potatoes on his head during a fight, according to divorce records.
Matthew Hoffman, who filed for divorce from Porter in 2013, said in a request for a restraining order dated April 30 of that year that he was “routinely” called a “f—ing idiot” and “f—ing incompetent” by his rage-prone spouse, who also shattered a glass coffee pot on their kitchen counter in March 2012 when she felt their house wasn’t clean enough.
…In 2006, Hoffman said, Porter took issue with how Hoffman was preparing mashed potatoes for dinner, asking him: “Can’t you read the f—ing instructions!” Then, her ex-husband said, Porter raised a “ceramic bowl of steaming hot potatoes and dumped it on my head, burning my scalp.”
A Newsweek report published August 27 on the California governor’s race showed Porter was leading the crowded field in two August polls (excerpt):
Republican candidates running in the California gubernatorial primary are hoping to make the race for the mansion competitive in the solidly Democratic state, as a new poll from the University of California, Berkeley and The Los Angeles Times showed a large number of voters remain undecided.
No candidate has support from a clear majority of voters in the new poll, but former Democratic Representative Katie Porter led the pack with 17 percent backing. Republican Chad Bianco, who serves as the sheriff of Riverside County, follows with 10 percent.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, held support from 9 percent of respondents, while 6 percent supported conservative commentator Steve Hilton. Two other Democrats—former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and businessman Rick Caruso, who has not formally announced a campaign—each held support from 4 percent of voters.
Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they’re still undecided about who they would support.
…A Citrin Center/Politico poll earlier in August showed Porter with 21 percent, Bianco with 15 percent, Hilton with 10 percent and both Becerra and Villaraigosa with 9 percent…
Emerson College released a new poll September 19 that showed Porter maintaining her lead:
In the 2026 Primary for Governor, former Representative Katie Porter leads with 16% support, followed by Republican Steve Hilton at 10%, Republican Sheriff Chad Bianco at 8%, and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra at 5%. A plurality of voters, 38%, remain undecided. Since August, support for Porter and Hilton has decreased by two points, respectively, while support for Bianco increased one point, and support for Becerra increased two points.
The release of Porter’s meltdown interview came a day after she was endorsed by the pro-abortion PAC Emily’s List:
Grateful to have @emilyslist by my side in this campaign. Now more than ever, we need leaders with backbone who will cut through the BS and deliver for families.
And there’s nothing that Donald Trump hates more than facing down a strong, powerful woman. https://t.co/xdYtzCt7JI
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) October 7, 2025
The complete CBS Sacramento candidates interviews report by Julie Watts:
Excerpt from the KOVR report says Porter stayed to finish the interview:
Porter, who has represented a swing district in Orange County, was the only candidate to refuse to directly answer the question, taking issue with the premise that she might need republican voters to win.
“How would I need them in order to win?” Porter asked. “If it is me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump.”
As several of her opponents noted, in California’s top-two open primary system, Republican voters could help put a Democratic candidate over the top.
Porter then threatened to call off the interview, taking issue with too many follow-up questions. She ultimately stayed and continued answering questions.
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