California gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter is in damage control mode after videos surfaced showing her sparring with a journalist and berating a staffer—clips that have cast a shadow over the Democrat's campaign to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a Tuesday interview on Nexstar's Inside California Politics, Porter admitted she "could have handled things better," saying she's addressed the incidents directly and offered an apology to the staffer involved.
Porter told host Nikki Laurenzo she wants voters to know she values her team's work and recognizes the need to better express her appreciation, Politico reports. "People who know me know I can be tough," she said, but conceded she needs to show more gratitude for her staff's efforts. The fallout from the videos—which include Porter threatening to walk out of a local TV interview and a heated exchange with a staffer in 2021—has put her temperament under the microscope and prompted some Democrats to reconsider their support, with more candidates eyeing the race. The New York Times reports that possible new entrants include Sen. Alex Padilla and billionaire Tom Steyer.
Asked whether voters "can feel confident that there aren't any more Katie Porter videos out there," Porter didn't give a direct answer but reiterated her acknowledgment of past missteps and her focus on earning trust. In a Zoom call organized by the progressive Working Families Party group later Tuesday, Porter said: "I absolutely understand that I could have been better in those moments," per the Times. "I'm going to hold myself to that standard, to do better and to acknowledge that I fell short."
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