Katie Porter

U.S. Representative

Democrat

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Background

Porter, 50, grew up on a farm in southern Iowa during the 1980s farm crisis. Her father was a farmer-turned-banker, and her mother co-founded the Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting TV show. Porter graduated from Yale University with a degree in American studies and from law school at Harvard University. She interned at Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Grassley’s office and studied under now-U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts.

After practicing law for a few years, Porter turned to teaching bankruptcy law and consumer protection for more than a decade. Meanwhile, she led research efforts into bankruptcy cases, gave expert testimony and consulted for governments and mortgage servicing companies.  

In 2018, she flipped a Republican congressional seat in Orange County and won attention for using a white board during congressional hearings to confront witnesses. Porter regularly touts her fight against corporate interests and introduced legislation on consumer protection and transparency in Congress. 

But Porter has also faced controversy for her stock investments in companies scrutinized by consumer advocates, her corporation consulting stint and allegations of abuse from a former staffer, which she denied.

“We need a leader who acts to strengthen our democracy, showing that a grassroots army can defeat the powerful corporate interests that control Washington.”

On the Issues

Key Topics
Economy and inflation
Criminal justice
Immigration
Labor
Housing and homelessness
Foreign policy
Climate change

While California and the rest of the nation hasn’t sunk into recession, inflation remains stubbornly high, rising to an annual rate of 3.4% in December from 3.1%. And polls show that despite some job growth and wage gains, Californians are still anxious about their personal finances and pessimistic about what lies ahead in 2024. 

Name three concrete policies you support the federal government implementing to reduce inflation.

Congress must crack down on price gouging. I’m proud a new law I wrote is finally penalizing Big Pharma for overcharging older adults. I also have a bill to hold Big Oil accountable for hiking prices to earn record-high profits. This legislation passed the House, but senators beholden to Big Oil blocked it. We need guardrails to prevent overcharging in the first place. Lack of consumer choice leads to higher prices, as corporations prioritize profits since they don’t have to compete for customers. Congress should boost competition by encouraging small and medium-sized business development and strengthening antitrust laws.

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How do you define “good-paying jobs,” and what three specific actions will you take in the Senate to bring those jobs to California?

​​“Good-paying jobs” pay people enough to afford to live where they work, encourage a secure retirement, and respect the right to organize. Delivering good-paying jobs will require forward-thinking leadership. As we stare down industry changes — like the rises of artificial intelligence and clean energy — Congress must act with urgency. If we don’t, we risk such changes being used to undermine workers’ rights. I’m calling for the meaningful regulation of AI, as well as greater clean energy investments that empower workers, including those who spent their careers building energy infrastructure. I’m also championing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.

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Californians’ concerns about crime spiked during the COVID pandemic and haven’t lessened — worries worsened by fewer law enforcement officers in many communities. But the crime numbers paint a more complicated picture. And while California has some of the country’s strictest gun laws, a key measure to ban concealed weapons in most public places is tied up in the courts.

Name three concrete policies you want to implement in the Senate to reduce crime in California and nationally.

Public safety is a core function of government. I strongly oppose and will fight to eliminate private, for-profit prisons and curtail other corporate profit generators that contribute to the unfair treatment of low-income communities, especially communities of color. I also would invest in helping law enforcement work across jurisdictions and governments to take organized criminal enterprises and transnational crime syndicates that fuel the majority of fentanyl, violence, and the most high-profile instances of retail theft. Finally, I would tackle recidivism by investing in programs to provide meaningful pathways to employment both during and after incarceration.

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What is your solution to rising gun deaths in the nation?

The tragic reality is we know how to keep people safe from gun violence — by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, instituting universal background checks, ending the gun industry’s broad legal immunity, regulating guns like other consumer products, and more — but we lack enough leaders at the federal level who have the necessary courage to stand up to the gun lobby. We need to pressure our elected officials to act — and vote them out when they don’t.

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The crisis at the border is affecting California. Local nonprofits have been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants in San Diego and Imperial counties. Between last September and November, U.S. border authorities dropped off more than 42,000 people on San Diego County streets with no direction or assistance, according to county officials.

Name three immigration reform policies you believe Congress should implement.

Our immigration system is a mess. For decades, Washington has failed to provide meaningful citizenship opportunities to immigrants. But I’m of a generation that sees, respects, and understands the value immigrants bring to our communities and our economy. We need a fair and orderly system that provides broad, widespread citizenship opportunities. We can start by modernizing our outdated registry laws that overlook generations of immigrants who make our country stronger. I also support enshrining Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections into law, and I’m pushing to deliver on the right to seek asylum when fleeing persecution.

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Should undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have a path to citizenship? If so, what would that look like?

Yes. Immigrants enrich our communities and make our economy stronger. Washington’s decades-long failure to provide meaningful citizenship opportunities to immigrants hurts all of us. We need a fair, orderly immigration system that provides people with the opportunity to become citizens.

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The “hot labor summer” last year made a big difference in California, and helped lead to significant victories for unions in the Legislature, including higher minimum wages than the statewide $16 an hour for fast food and health care workers. And labor activism shows no sign of letting up in 2024.

What should the federal minimum wage be? And if you believe it needs to be changed, what can you do to make it happen?

Our nearly 15-year-old $7.25 an-hour minimum wage directly reflects how Washington caters to big corporations ahead of everyday people. I support a $20 hourly federal minimum wage and a $25 hourly California minimum wage, both of which should be indexed to inflation.

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Name three labor policies you want to implement as the next U.S. senator.

Workers are the backbone of our economy. I strongly support the right to form and/or join a union and believe Washington must deliver policies that provide that opportunity to all workers. I’m a champion for passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, cracking down on anti-worker behavior like retaliation, union-busting, and wage theft, and making it easier for workers to form unions through card checks.

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California’s affordable housing crisis only deepened during the pandemic. And California has the most homeless individuals of any state — more than 171,000 as of 2023, despite more than $20 billion in spending since 2018. With rising public concern about homelessness, California cities are hoping a case before the U.S. Supreme Court will give them more leeway to clear homeless encampments. A ballot measure in March would allow the state to borrow $6.4 billion more to build treatment beds for those with mental illness, including those living on the street.

What do you think is the biggest driving factor of California’s homelessness problem?

Chronic street homelessness is the tip of a giant housing affordability iceberg. So many Californians are struggling to find housing they can afford. This crisis has been years in the making, and it’s a direct result of the federal government failing to take action for decades. We need a major federal investment in housing. I got my start in public service by helping families stay in their homes during the foreclosure crisis. Housing remains a top issue for me, and I’m running for the U.S. Senate to push housing affordability to the top of Washington’s priority list.

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What are three policies you believe will increase housing affordability in California?

We need to stop running our housing policy to benefit Wall Street. Right now, housing is a subcommittee of the Banking Committee. That tells us all we need to know: Washington sees housing as an engine to line Wall Street’s pockets, not as a precursor for job opportunities, educational opportunities, good health outcomes, etc. In addition to forming a housing committee, Congress must invest in more workforce housing to make it easier for new communities to take root and grow. I’m also interested in innovative financing models that find a middle ground between renting year-to-year and a 30-year fixed mortgage.

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While the U.S. isn’t directly at war, it is deeply involved in supporting Ukraine to repel the Russian invasion and in backing Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The latter has become particularly controversial in California, as some elected officials and advocacy groups call for a ceasefire to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Do you support a ceasefire in the Gaza war? Why or why not?

Yes. I have called for a lasting bilateral ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

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Do you believe the U.S. should intervene in military conflicts abroad? And if so, under what circumstances should we intervene?

We must work with allies to protect democratic values abroad. However, any security aid provided must come with respect for U.S. and international law. Foreign countries that receive aid have a responsibility to do all they can to prevent harm to civilians, and the U.S. has a responsibility to hold them accountable. I refuse to pledge unconditional military aid to any ally. There must always be continuous, robust discussions about why providing aid is in our interest, what we’re giving, how it’ll be used, and what the end game is that’ll bring about enduring peace.

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Do you support reducing or increasing the federal budget on defense and national security? Why or why not?

Funding must be evaluated in light of threats facing our country and the world. I’ll never rubber stamp spending, but I believe investing in our servicemembers and their well-being is paramount. Our Department of Defense is a hub of innovation and research, and so, for example, I’ve supported better protocols for treating burn victims, such as injured servicemembers and civilians. Regardless of funding levels, we need more oversight of how the Pentagon spends taxpayer dollars. I’ve exposed big defense contractors for ripping off taxpayers. I’ve never taken donations from defense contractor PACs and have no problem holding the industry accountable.

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While the drought has let up, California is facing intensifying battles over water rights, struggling to reach its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is counting on federal money for climate programs with the state budget deficit. The state is also confronting an increased threat of wildfires; the federal government owns the most forested land in the state.

Name three concrete policies you want to implement that would address the climate change crisis.

One of the most fiscally responsible things we can do is take bold, urgent action to protect communities from the climate crisis. I strongly support reducing carbon emissions and investing in a clean energy future, holding polluters accountable for the damage they’re doing to our planet while eliminating their special tax breaks and other sweetheart deals, and investing in making all communities — not just a select few — more resilient to natural disasters worsened by climate change.

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Should California embrace clean energy? And if so, what will you do as Senator to incentivize the use of clean energy in the state?

Whoever dominates the clean energy space today will have the strongest economy tomorrow. That can and should be the United States, led by California. Clean energy has the potential to unlock hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing, research, education, and more. I support continued investments in clean energy and efforts to protect workers and communities so no one gets left behind as we push boldly toward clean energy. For example, I’ve been pushing to invest federal dollars in California’s hydrogen economy, and I’m proud that the Biden-Harris administration recently announced $1.2 billion that’ll do just that.

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Fundraising

Key Endorsements

Katie Porter

Supporters
  • National Union of Healthcare Workers
  • California Communications Workers of America Union
  • U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  • San Francisco Chronicle
Fun Fact

Porter became a beginner surfer in 2019. She said she went to a women’s surf school after being elected to Congress and is a fan of Big Corona Beach and the 19th Street in Newport Beach. Her favorite surf spot is the Pacific Beach in San Diego County.  

Experience

U.S. House

2019-present

In 2018, Porter defeated Republican Rep. Mimi Walters by 5 percentage points and has since fended off two challenges from GOP opponents by single-digit margins. Porter has championed efforts to increase oversight on banks, prevent infant formula shortages, boost transparency among Congress members and tighten regulations over federal agency heads. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

Professor/associate professor of law

2004-18

Porter taught bankruptcy, commercial and consumer law at universities in Nevada, Iowa and California and conducted several years-long studies on bankruptcy. Most recently, at the University of California Irvine School of Law, she founded the Consumer Protection Clinic centered around the $18 billion National Mortgage Settlement — the largest such consumer settlement — and was appointed by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris to monitor it.

Associate at law firm

2002-04

She worked as a bankruptcy lawyer at the Stoel Rives LLP in Portland, Oregon, and served as the director of the Business Bankruptcy Project under Warren.

Law clerk

2001-02

She clerked for Judge Richard S. Arnold in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Little Rock, Arizona. 

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