KATIE PORTER SHINES ON DEBATE STAGE, SHOWCASES STRONG PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP AS GOVERNOR

Porter: “This is worse than my teenagers at dinner.”

Porter Called Out Billionaire Steyer for Investments in Big Oil & ICE Detention Centers

CLAREMONT—Katie Porter stood out from the pack during the CBS gubernatorial debate at Pomona College tonight, showing voters the bold, focused leadership that Californians deserve in their next Governor.

Porter clearly articulated to voters how she will fight for Californians, outlining her plans to bring down costs across the state, stand up to Trump’s attacks on our immigrant neighbors, and protect access to healthcare for California families. She discussed her plans to implement free childcare, tuition-free UC and CSU education, and single-payer healthcare as the tried and true progressive on stage. 

As the only candidate to never accept corporate PAC donations, Katie distinguished herself from the pack and proved herself to be the best choice for California. Here are some of Katie’s highlights from the debate: 

On Housing:

“I’m the single mom of three teenagers who believe they will not be able to buy houses here in California. We have to build much faster. California builds apartment housing and single-family homes about two years slower than our competitor states, and in that two years, everything becomes ten or twenty percent more expensive…We can bring down housing costs by ten or twenty percent. That’s not a few extra dollars. That is hundreds or thousands of dollars back in the pockets of families, and it’s opening up homeownership to the next generation of Californians.” 

On Healthcare:

“Single-payer delivers the most healthcare at the lowest administrative costs. I was a champion for single-payer at the federal level because Medicare spends about 2% of everything that we put into it on administrative costs and private health insurance spends 17 or 18% on pushing paper and denying claims and telling you no and who you can or can’t go see as a doctor.”  

On Trusting the Next Governor: 

“Californians can trust me because I’m the only candidate on this stage that refuses corporate donations. The only one. That’s because I’m willing to take on the status quo, I’m willing to go against the grain and fight for a better California. I am not for sale, not at any price.” 

Despite billionaire Tom Steyer spending over $133 million trying to buy the election, Katie remains statistically tied as the top polling Democrat. She also has the highest favorability and name ID among Democrats. In recent weeks, Porter raised over $1 million from grassroots donors and surpassed more than 100,000 individual donors to her campaign. She had more than 7x Becerra’s cash on hand as of the April 18 reporting deadline. 

Katie’s grassroots coalition is the largest and strongest in the race. She has the most congressional and organized labor support of any candidate, including: California Labor Federation, UNAC/UHCP, Orange County Employees Association, IBEW Local 441, CWA District 9, National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), Teamsters California, United Auto Workers (UAW), Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), and Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transit Workers Union (SMART). Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Dave Min, Rep. Robert Garcia, Rep. Derek Tran, Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris, and other major groups like EMILY’s List, Elect Democratic Women, End Citizens United, Fund Her, California Women’s List, Vote Mama PAC, Women in Leadership, California Environmental Voters, and Climate Center Action Fund are also backing Porter. 

###