Former congresswoman Katie Porter announced her bid for the 2026 California governor’s race on March 11. Porter returned to the University of California, Irvine School of Law as faculty after completing her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she represented California’s 47th Congressional District.
Porter announced her candidacy on X with a campaign video highlighting her actions in Congress, including scrutinizing drug and health insurance companies and passing legislation to increase firefighter pay. She cited these efforts as proof she can ensure that California protects abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and immigrant communities.
Her campaign for governor focuses on affordable health care, lowering the cost of living in California, workers’ rights, increasing housing, supporting clean energy initiatives and ensuring adequate preparation for natural disasters. If elected, Porter would be the first woman to serve as the governor of California.
She first entered politics in 2018, winning the midterm election and flipping the seat to represent California’s 45th Congressional District. She won reelection in 2020 and was elected to represent the 47th Congressional District after redistricting, serving for a total of six years from Jan. 3, 2019, to Jan. 3, 2025. While in Congress, Porter was a member of the House Financial Services Committee, the House Oversight Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.
Prior to her political career, Porter received her law degree from Harvard Law School and her bachelor’s in American studies from Yale. She then joined the UC Irvine School of Law as faculty in 2011. As a professor, she focuses on empirical studies of consumer bankruptcy.
Porter spoke to UCI students and faculty in the UCI School of Social Ecology on Feb. 11, a month before announcing her candidacy, about “Three Reflections for 2025.” Rather than commenting on her political plans for 2026, she briefly shared her thoughts about future political opponents.
“What we need to be seeing is fresh, energized communicators. That’s what we should be shopping for,” Porter said.
Porter chose not to run for reelection in the House of Representatives in 2024, instead launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Porter ultimately lost in the 2024 primaries. The two candidates who advanced to the general election ballot were Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey.
Schiff, who had been a member of the House of Representatives since 2000, won the 2024 Senate seat. The 47th District seat, previously held by Porter, was won by Rep. Dave Min, whom Porter endorsed for the seat.
The election for governor will take place during the 2026 midterms. Gov. Gavin Newsom has reached his term limit after two four-year terms, surviving a 2021 recall election, and is ineligible to run.
Porter is among several candidates who have publicly announced their campaigns, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former State Controller Betty Yee and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco who will compete in an open primary system next spring, where the top two candidates advance to the November general election. Former vice president Kamala Harris has yet to rule out a run in her home state for the governorship following her loss in the 2024 presidential election, but is a favorite to win the Democratic nomination if she chooses to do so.
More information about the upcoming election can be found here.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley
Editor’s Note:
An earlier iteration of this article incorrectly stated that Katie Porter represented the 45th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025. In 2022, Porter was elected to represent the 47th Congressional District following redistricting.