Porter points to recent tumult in Washington as evidence of experience

Rep. Katie Porter knows how to stand out in Congress, whether it’s taking CEOs to task in committee hearings with a whiteboard or reading the self-help book  “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***” by Mark Manson as House members endured multiple votes before Kevin McCarthy emerged as the new Speaker.

But her job serving in the House is just one of three she’s currently juggling.

Inside Katie Porter’s home, 4 a.m. economics lessons and her daughter’s own whiteboard

The 3-term Congresswoman has been traveling more than 2,200 miles back and forth from Washington, D.C. to be home with her 3 kids as well as hitting the campaign trail, where she’s in a fierce battle for California’s highly coveted U.S. Senate seat.

Porter is currently in a virtual tie with fellow Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff in the latest polling from UC Berkeley and the LA Times, with both candidates being the preferred candidate of 17% of respondents. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) is 8 points behind at 9%.

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On the Republican side, LA Dodgers legend Steve Garvey leads the way with 10% after officially entering the race last month.

Despite being behind Schiff in fundraising, Porter says she is the candidate who knows what voters are most worried about.

“What’s really challenging people here is they are still walking into the pharmacy not able to get a COVID-19 vaccine, worried about what they’re going to do about open enrollment,” Porter told FOX40’s Eytan Wallace. “Whether or not the government is going to shut down and they’re going to have problems with social security.”

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“I worry about California’s economy, worry about our ability to compete globally, and I think about things like we are not investing nearly as much in things like childcare.”

Porter’s Democratic opponents have spent decades in Congress while Porter has only served a handful of years. The Orange County Democrat says the time in which she has worked in the House has provided her with plenty of experience.

“Some people say ‘You’ve only been there 5 years’ and I want to say, I’ve been through the longest shutdown in government history, an insurrection, two impeachments, now this war in the Middle East, a global pandemic. I’ve had a lot of experiences in my 5 years.”

Nexstar is following candidates to see what it is like to balance work and family during the U.S. Senate campaign. While there are some policy discussions in the story, the project is intended to capture glimpses of what you don’t see in traditional campaign coverage. All candidates received the request to participate at the same time and the Porter campaign was the first to set aside time. Candid coverage is being published as candidates make themselves available. In order to qualify, candidates must have polled above 5% in the most recent Nexstar poll. Look for features on additional Senate candidates in the coming days and weeks. 

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