Former Rep. Katie Porter launches run for California governor
Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is running for governor of California, injecting another well-known name into the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter is running for governor of California, injecting another well-known name into the race to succeed Gavin Newsom.
“What California needs now is a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit, fresh blood and new ideas, leaders with the backbone to fight for what’s right,” Porter said in her announcement video. “That’s why I am running for governor.”
Porter is well known after an unsuccessful Senate run last year, and she joins a field that includes a number of other Democrats: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee, former state legislative leader Tony Atkins, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and businessman Stephen Cloobeck. (Newsom is term-limited.)
But a bigger name, former Vice President Kamala Harris, is looming over all of them, and Porter's plans could change if Harris decides to jump into the race.
A Porter adviser told NBC News that if Harris decides to run, Porter would back her. But while Harris weighs her options, Porter is launching her own campaign for governor.
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