Katie Porter appears at a California gubernatorial forum presented by CNN at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, California, on May 5, 2026. Ethan Swope/AP
Ex-Rep. Katie Porter, a contender for California governor, continues to be met with inquiries concerning her demeanor and tackled the subject at a forum Tuesday evening.
Porter, who faced renewed disapproval this week after launching a campaign advertisement that jokes about her previous outbursts, brought up the matter of examination over viral clips of her scolding a staff member and threatening to abandon an interview with a reporter. Her actions were also brought up by the host later in the CNN debate.
Katie Porter participates in a California gubernatorial debate hosted by CNN at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, Calif., on May 5, 2026.Ethan Swope/AP
“I find it hard to believe that on a stage featuring 30 minutes of disruptions, squabbling, insults, yelling, and disrespect … that anyone would like to discuss my temperament,” Porter stated.
Porter also consistently singled out her rivals during the debate for what she characterized as disruptive behavior, at one juncture telling them: "Gentlemen, enough with the arguing."
“Not a single one of them, none of these men, have conceded, throughout this entire campaign, that I've committed an error,” she said.
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona conveyed that she believed Porter navigated the exchange skillfully.
“I felt it was astute of her, as the sole woman present, to highlight the spitefulness and animosity of the men attacking each other, and then apologizing once more for what she had done,” Cardona commented.
Tim Krebs, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico, informed ABC News that a disparity applied to female candidates is widely recognized in politics.
“What is commonly labeled as ‘excessively emotional,’ ‘too forceful,’ or lacking the ‘suitable demeanor’ in a female contender is frequently perceived as strength, fortitude, or resolve in a male contender,” Krebs expressed.
“Porter was also accurate in pointing out the contradiction of male candidates — including one endorsed by President Trump, whose political identity is founded on communicating in an openly aggressive and unfiltered manner,” he supplemented.
However, Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, communicated to ABC News that “two realities can coexist” — “her prior actions, for which she expressed regret, can be problematic. And I believe that for some individuals, their interpretation of that conduct may be affected by the fact that she's a woman.”
“Serving as governor of California hinges not solely on your policy positions, but also on your disposition,” Levinson expressed. “You must collaborate with the state legislature. You must negotiate. And I believe that for some individuals, the question isn’t, does she possess a negative temper? It's whether her temper will compromise her potential for success as governor?"
A video came to light in October 2025 revealing Porter instructing a staffer during a 2021 video conference to "get out of my f—ing shot." Porter has communicated that she has taken accountability and apologized for the occurrence.
California gubernatorial candidates former Rep. Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan look on during a CNN California Governor Primary Debate at East Los Angeles College, on May 5, 2026, in Monterey Park, Calif.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Her campaign disseminated an advertisement this week that seemingly trivialized the circumstance, concluding with Porter smiling and inquiring of the crowd behind her, "Now, could you all please get out of my shot?"
Among the eight most notable gubernatorial hopefuls, Porter is the only woman who remains in contention. Influential groups and legislators such as EMILYs List, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and three incumbent members of California’s congressional delegation have thrown their support behind her.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women comprise slightly more than half of California's populace, and they constitute approximately 57% of probable Democratic voters, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. The state has never seated a female governor.
From referencing driving her minivan to feeling the economic pressure at the grocery store, Porter asserts she is intimately familiar with the affordability concerns many Californians encounter, and highlighting her working, single-mother existence as a central aspect of her campaign’s communication.
Dan Schnur, a political science professor at University of California, Berkeley and the University of Southern California, gave Porter credit for "attempting to deal with something that has presented a significant issue for her campaign" — but "she tends to come across as irritated that she must address it, which diminishes its effectiveness."
“I'm also not certain that 'I behave appropriately most of the time' is a sentiment that will resonate with voters who have viewed the videos," Schnur appended.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com