Who is Katie Porter? Former congresswoman threatens to walk out of TV interview over journalist's line of questioning

Katie Porter is at the center of controversy after a video of her threatening to walk out on a journalist over her line of questioning resurfaced.

As seen in videos going viral, Porter, who is currently the leading candidate for California Governor, threatened to leave the interview midway. Newsweek has reported that the incident occurred weeks ago during an interview with CBS News California Investigates correspondent Julie Watts.

The former congresswoman is most known for her straightforwardness and advocacy of issues like corporate accountability. She is currently in the run for governor, though she served three terms in Congress, from 2019 to 2025. She reportedly left her House seat to run for Senate last year in the jungle primary, though her efforts proved futile.

The Gateway Pundit has reported that Katie Porter is currently the leading candidate for governance with 20 percent support from Democrats, Republicans, third-party, and independents.

Katie Porter cops major flak from netizens and fellow politicians alike: Read more

In the infamous video in question, the California gubernatorial candidate was questioned about President Donald Trump and her plan on winning Republican voters in her quest to topple the incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom.

“What do you say to the 40 percent of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” Watts asked.

Porter responded:

"How would I need them in order to win, ma'am?" She continued, "I have stood on my own two feet and won Republican votes before."

When Watts pointed out that she just said she doesn't need Trump voters, Porter, visibly apalled, out her hands up and claimed the interview was becoming "unnecessarily argumentative." Watts pressed on, pointing out that all other candidates faced a similar line of questioning.

"I don't want to keep doing this, I'm going to call it," Porter said, claiming she won't do an interview with "seven follow-ups to every single question you ask." She also remarked that she never had to "end an interview" in the past.

The video has sparked a wave of backlash and reactions online, including one from Watts, who took to X to tweet:

"So … looks like 3min of this 30 min segment has gone viral. I hope you’ll want the full segment."

Per Newsweek, podcaster Megyn Kelly also weighed in on the debacle with criticism:

"Are there other terrible interviews with Katie Porter? This is the most entertaining, unifying thing since tiger king!" she exclaimed on X on Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert of California tweeted that same day:

"Katie Porter just had a meltdown when asked what she’d say to GOP voters. Her tirade is a window into the mentality of radical CA Democrat politicians. They can’t stand those who disagree with them. They’re trying to silence their opponents with Prop 50. They even condone violent rhetoric targeting Republicans. We have to speak up. We have to vote NO on Prop 50. We have to take our state back from these extremists."

He was referring to Prop 50, which is a measure that would transform congressional maps in an attempt to gain more Democratic House seats in the state. The initiative is being championed by Newsom in response to similar initiatives from Texas Republicans.

As of this writing, Katie Porter has yet to address the flak.

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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