"I need to do a better job" - Former Rep. Katie Porter apologizes after viral videos showed her berating a reporter and swearing at an aide

Katie Porter has expressed remorse for her actions in now-viral videos of her berating a reporter and cussing at an aide.

In two videos that went viral, the California gubernatorial candidate, 51, can be seen clashing with a journalist and intensely swearing at a staffer for the way she was lit in a Zoom meeting in 2021. POLITICO obtained the video on October 8, when Porter was a representative for Congress (D-Calif).

"Get out of my f****** shot," Katie Porter told a staffer in the clip.

She has since issued a direct apology to the two people she harangued. During an appearance on Nexstar's "Inside California Politics," she told host Nikki Laurenzo who asked her if she has "the temperament to be the next governor of California":

"When I look at those videos, I want people to know that I understand that I could have handled things better."

Katie Porter's rivals urge her to drop out of the race due to her temper: Read more

In her apology, Katie Porter continued:

"I think I'm known as someone who's able to handle tough questions, who's willing to answer questions. And I want people to know I really value the incredible work that my staff can do." She added, "People who know me know I can be tough. But I need to do a better job expressing appreciation for the amazing work my team does."

Notably, the video was leaked a day after Katie Porter went viral for threatening to storm out of an interview with CBS Sacramento. Porter, who is the frontrunner to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2026 governor's race, accused the interviewer, Julie Watts, of probing too much and being heavily argumentative.

In her recent conversation with Laurenzo, a former House member from Orange County was also asked if there were any more "Katie Porter" videos "out there," to which she reiterated her remorseful response. When further probed about "another potential video," she added:

"Nikki, I'm going to be honest with you. I know that video - and that video was several years ago, as you know - I apologized to the staffer. That's super important to me. I will continue to try and hold myself to do better. That's what I can promise."

She added:

"I'm telling you what I have told you - I am taking responsibility for this situation, and I'm also not going to back down from fighting back for California. From being tough - I don't think this is a moment where the 'same old same old' is going to cut it."

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Katie Porter secured a narrow lead in recent polls, indicating that she may succeed Newsom, who is serving his second and final term. However, following the emergence of the viral videos, her competitors and rivals have been slamming her behavior, including former state Controller Betty Yee.

Per the LA Times, Yee called on Porter to drop out of the race, touting her temperament as a threat tothe Democrats’ effort to enact Proposition 50, which is a November 4 ballot measure to

"redraw congressional districts in California to boost their party’s numbers in the House," per the LA Times.

According to Yee, Katie Porter's "demeanor" could cost the Democratic Party a win in the governor’s race as well as the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I don’t relish picking a fight, and it’s not even a fight,” Yee said during a virtual news conference. “I’m doing what’s best for this party.”

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