Things had been looking up for Katie Porter’s bid to become the next governor of California.
In July, Kamala Harris decided not to run in next year’s contest, opening the door for candidates with less name recognition. And Ms. Porter, a former congresswoman known for her sharp tongue on Capitol Hill, has been the top-polling Democrat in a large field hoping to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom of California when he leaves office.
But late Tuesday, Ms. Porter went viral for the wrong reasons after a video of her exchange with a local television journalist became a must-see clip for the political set. In the three-minute video, she dismissively rejected a question that suggested she needed to reach out to Republicans and threatened to abandon the interview after she was frustrated with several follow-ups.
Rivals from both parties seized on the interview to mix it up in what’s been, until now, a very sleepy race.
Fellow Democratic candidates said Ms. Porter “thinks she’s already won,” “can’t answer basic questions” and that the governor’s race is “no place for temper tantrums.” One opponent called on her to drop out of the race.