LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Katie Porter is fighting back.<\/p>\n
After a disastrous<\/a> week that saw calls for the former Democratic congresswoman to end her campaign for California governor, supporters are rallying around her and seeking to deflect criticism about her temperament and readiness for the state\u2019s top job.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, a snippet of a recent TV interview went viral showing the progressive favorite Porter in an awkwardly tense back-and-forth with a reporter \u2014 at one point she threatened to walk out. Shortly afterward, a video surfaced of a 2021 interview showing her loudly berating a staffer. <\/p>\n After a round of condemnation from her Democratic rivals and a flood of online mockery, Porter showed no sign of stepping aside while her campaign lined up supporters to help her weather the fallout. <\/p>\n \u201cIn this critical moment in our country we don\u2019t need to be polite, go along to get along, establishment politicians that keep getting run over by the opposition,\u201d said Teamsters California Co-Chairs Peter Finn and Chris Griswold, which endorsed Porter in September. \u201cWe need strong leaders like Katie Porter that are willing to call it like it is and stand up and fight for everyday Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, said in a post on the social media platform X that Porter \u201cis one of the toughest, most authentic leaders I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILYs List, which works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights and endorsed Porter last month, said in a statement that Americans know that Porter is \u201cthe gutsy leader California needs to go toe to toe with (President) Donald Trump.\u201d <\/p>\n An unexpected word of support came from Whoopi Goldberg, who said on \u201cThe View\u201d that \u201cSome people apparently are surprised by these videos. I am not. We see these videos with … lots of different people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuman beings have bad days,\u201d Goldberg added.<\/p>\n It\u2019s yet to be seen whether Porter suffers with voters, if at all \u2014 the primary isn\u2019t until June, and the general election is in November 2026. But the unflattering videos are certain to encourage other potential candidates to give the wide-open, crowded race a look. <\/p>\n Padilla considers running<\/p>\n Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla is among those who have not ruled out a run in the 2026 contest. <\/p>\n \u201cThere are quite a few people looking at this field and saying, \u2018There has got to be somebody better,\u2019 \u201d said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta. Potential candidates are watching, \u201cHow far does Porter fall?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think this whole thing is indicative of a race that is not catching fire,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n Porter \u2014 who became a social media celebrity<\/a> by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings to dissect CEOs and break down complex figures into assaults on corporate greed \u2014 is probably the best- known candidate in a race that was bypassed by former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a>. Porter is known for her potent small-dollar fundraising across the country.<\/p>\n The crowded field to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom includes former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and former state controller Betty Yee, all Democrats, and Republicans Steve Hilton,<\/a> a conservative commentator, and Chad Bianco<\/a>, the Riverside County Sheriff, among others.<\/p>\n Testy exchange with reporter<\/p>\n A segment of Porter\u2019s recent interview with Julie Watts, a CBS California reporter, went viral. In the clip, Watts and Porter get into a testy back-and-forth discussion and Porter at one point says, \u201cI don\u2019t want to keep doing this. I\u2019m going to call it,\u201d clapping her hands.<\/p>\n Porter\u2019s campaign said the interview continued for 20 minutes after the tense exchange settled down.<\/p>\n