Katie Porter Reminds Voters She’s an Awful Boss in New Campaign Ad

In just 26 days, Californians will head to the polls to vote in a crowded gubernatorial primary—in which candidates will be up to replace the termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). And it seems one of the front-runners has already mastered Newsom’s (if not most politicians’) signature move: leaning into how much she sucks. Ah, to be a politician (read, hypocrite).

On Tuesday, former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) released her latest campaign ad for California governor, a 30-second upbeat montage featuring her pushing a cart in a grocery store and pumping her own gas, as well as her supporters holding up messages on her signature “whiteboards of justice” that say “DUMP TRUMP”  and “CALL OUT RACISM.” None of this is bad. The ad ends, however, with Porter turning around to a crowd of these supporters, and saying, in a chipper voice, “Now, could you guys please get out of my shot?”

For context: in October, Porter’s campaign had barely begun when a video of her from 2021 was leaked onto the internet, showing her yelling at one of her staffers for being in the background of a webinar she was taping for the then-Biden administration. “Get out of my fucking shot!” she yelled. She later apologized for this moment, as well as another video that showed her getting upset at CBS News’ Julie Watts, after Watts asked her about whether she’d need Republican votes to win the governorship. “I feel like this is being unnecessarily argumentative,” a visibly annoyed Porter said at the time. “What is your question?”

i push my own shopping cart, also i abuse my staff, tee-hee

— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) May 5, 2026

Porter has a history of being grilled for her “temper,” from accusations of being a bad boss and, unrelatedly, having domestic disputes. Most infamously, she was accused by her ex-husband—and the father of her three children—of dumping a hot bowl of mashed potatoes on his head during their divorce in 2012. (She has maintained he was the perpetrator in any domestic violence disputes.) 

When asked about her temper during a debate on Tuesday night, she replied, “I can’t believe that on a stage with 30 minutes of interrupting and bickering and name-calling and shouting and disrespect…that anyone wants to talk about my temperament.”  Speaking about the video with the campaign staffer, she said, “I apologized five years ago for it, and we worked together for four more years.” 

Technically, Porter wasn’t completely off the mark in calling out the questioning, as she was the sole woman on stage, compared to six other (male) candidates. (It would have been seven, but Gov. Eric Swalwell stepped down from the race in disgrace in April, amid accusations of sexual misconduct.) During one particularly heated moment, in which the Trump-backed Steve Hilton and other GOP menace Chad Bianco kept speaking over each other, Porter chimed in, “Boys, boys, enough with the bickering.” 

Unfortunately, if Porter wasn’t so busy reminding constituents of her worst moments, she could have had a much better week. When asked about immigration and ICE during Tuesday’s debate, she bluntly replied, “Donald Trump sucks.” Sigh. Let’s just hope her next campaign ad doesn’t feature a bowl of mashed potatoes.