A pre-taped interview between California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter and a local journalist took an unexpectedly tense turn — and the news station decided to air the exchange in full for transparency.
Julie Watts, an investigative reporter with CBS News Sacramento, has been interviewing all of the major candidates in California’s upcoming 2026 gubernatorial race, asking each one identical questions to give viewers a fair comparison on key issues.
One of those candidates was Porter, a former congresswoman who currently leads early polling. On Monday, Oct. 6, the station released a 30-minute segment showing how each contender responded to the topic of redistricting in California.
At first, Porter expressed her support for redistricting. But the tone shifted when Watts asked a follow-up about how Porter planned to appeal to the nearly 40% of Californians who voted for Republican Donald Trump in 2024. The reporter wondered how she would reach those voters in order to win.
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“How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter, 51, replied sharply, before laughing off-camera.
Watts countered, “Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote. You think everybody who did not vote for Trump will vote for you?”
“In a general election? Yes,” Porter responded. “If it’s me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump.”
California’s blanket primary system means candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot in June, with the top two vote-getters — regardless of party — advancing to the general election that November.
Watts raised the possibility that Porter might face another Democrat in the general election, which could require her to court some Trump voters. Porter pushed back: “I don’t intend for that to be the case.”
When Watts asked if she planned to discourage other Democrats from running, Porter implied that her reputation and track record would make her the most viable contender. She also pointed out that she had previously won in competitive districts and could earn support from Republicans as well.
But the conversation grew tense when Watts noted that Porter had just said she didn’t need Trump voters to win. Porter held up her hands and replied, “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?”
The two went back and forth, with Watts insisting she wasn’t trying to argue and that other candidates had handled similar follow-ups without issue. Eventually, Porter paused and looked off-camera. “I don’t want to keep doing this,” she said. “I’m going to call it.”
“You’re not going to do the interview with us?” Watts asked, surprised.
“Nope, not like this, I’m not. Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask,” Porter replied.
Watts reminded her that every other candidate had done the same interview format. “I don’t care,” Porter said. “I wanted a pleasant, positive conversation about my policies.”
Watts noted that as an investigative journalist, pressing for clarity was part of her job.
“I have never had to do this before, ever,” Porter said.
“You’ve never had to have a conversation with a reporter?” Watts asked.
“To end an interview,” Porter clarified.
As the interview wound down, Porter softened slightly. “I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you,” she said. “And I don’t want this all on camera.”
Porter, a Democratic lawyer who represented competitive California districts from 2019 to 2025, left Congress to run for the late Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. She placed third in the 2024 primary, behind Republican Steve Garvey and Democrat Adam Schiff, who went on to win the general election.
Following that loss, Porter entered the 2026 governor’s race to succeed Gavin Newsom, who will be term-limited. The contest remains crowded with eight months until the June primary.
Other Democrats in the race include former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former California State Controller Betty Yee, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. On the Republican side, contenders such as Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and commentator Steve Hilton have also drawn attention.
