Katie Porter Apologizes for Behavior in Viral Videos at First Public Forum

Appearing at a public forum for the first time since a pair of viral videos rocked her campaign for governor, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter expressed regret on Friday and vowed to prove to California voters that she has the temperament for the state’s top job.

Speaking at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento, Porter apologized for threatening to walk out of a recent interview with CBS News Sacramento — and for cursing at a staff member in a 2021 video unearthed by POLITICO last week.

But she also attempted to regain her footing atop the 2026 race, promising that her contrition would not come at the expense of her combative political style.

“I want people to know that I understand that what I did was not good,” Porter said. “I’m not going to mince words about it, but I also want people to understand that I am in this fight because I am not going to back down and give one inch when people are hurting Californians.

“And both of those things can be true at the same time,” Porter said.

KQED’s Marisa Lagos interviewed Porter and took a handful of questions from an audience of more than a hundred people. She discussed her support for Proposition 50, the redistricting measure on the November ballot, and revealed that she disagreed with recent moves by Gov. Gavin Newsom to ease regulations on oil drilling.

But much of the conversation focused on the two videos that made headlines across the world and provided a rare jolt in a largely sleepy race for governor.

In the interview with CBS Sacramento, Porter bristled at a series of questions before attempting to remove her microphone and end the interview.

The conversation with reporter Julie Watts continued, but Porter later said, “I don’t want this all on camera.”

On Friday, Porter said she “could have handled that interview better.”

“I think part of my job is to be honest with voters about that,” she said.

Porter also addressed the leaked video in which she yelled at a staff member to “Get out of my f—ing shot!” during a virtual meeting.

Lagos asked Porter how and when she apologized to the former staffer.

“I apologized in real time when that happened because it was inappropriate — right then and there, and I knew it,” Porter said. “I could have done better in that situation, I know that. I really want my staff to understand that I value them.”

As a congresswoman representing Orange County, Porter gained a national following for her tough questioning of Trump administration officials and business executives. But her behavior in the recent videos drew widespread condemnation — and a series of attacks from other Democrats in the governor’s race.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa purchased ad time on the Sacramento CBS station to re-air the interview. Former State Controller Betty Yee called on Porter to end her campaign.

It remains to be seen how the incidents will affect Porter’s standing in the race to succeed Newsom, who is termed out. Porter led the wide field of candidates in an August poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, but 38% of voters said they were undecided.

Among the graduate students attending the forum was Jay Ward, an Irvine native studying at UC Davis. Ward said he voted for Porter during her previous runs for Congress and applauded her response to questions about the videos.

“I think she took responsibility for it pretty well,” Ward said. “I think the second component to that is seeing what she does going forward.”