The California governor’s race is being shaken up by a testy interview between former Democratic congresswoman Katie Porter and a local news reporter.

Porter, who is running for governor, was asked by the reporter how she would plan to win over Trump voters. She objected, correctly, that she doesn’t need Trump’s voters to win the state: California is overwhelmingly Democratic. But the reporter persisted. As the reporter continued, Porter lost her cool and started to complain about the follow ups. “I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation,” she protested.

As the back and forth continued, she eventually acknowledged her real fear. “I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you. And I don’t want this all on camera,” she admitted.

Hours later, Politico published a piece highlighting a video from 2021 where Porter upbraided a staffer for correcting her during an online event with then-Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “Get out of my f***ing shot,” Porter yelled.

It’s likely that this second interview made its way into Politico’s hands thanks to another campaign. The crowded Democratic field in California means many people have their sights on the governorship. Polls have shown that Porter is the top Democrat in the race, with one August poll putting her at 18%. California’s top-two primary system could result in her facing another Democrat but could also mean that she will have to contest with a Republican, such as commentator Steve Hilton in the general election.

But regardless of the provenance of the video it highlights one of Porter’s important weaknesses. She’s long been notorious for mistreating her staff and is known to have had a substantial turnover rate in her Capitol Hill office.

This frustrates populists, who are otherwise excited about the prospect of someone who was known for their tough and effective oversight of the banking industry becoming the governor of America’s largest state economy. She served as a deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, helping lead the Left flank of the party in the House.

Yet being an inept or abusive manager while running a tiny office in the House of Representatives is a little different from running the governor’s mansion in California, overseeing a state government that has over 200,000 employees. And while Porter might have been factually correct to argue with the reporter about how she doesn’t technically need Trump voters to support her to win the governor’s mansion, the attitude she displayed could also trip her up if she were to go all the way.

Successful governors are usually not partisan activists. Take Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro or Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp. Both men have sky-high approval ratings and are known for their congenial relationships across the aisle and with major media.

One of the challenges for California Democrats is making the state more affordable and shedding the ultra-partisan reputation of Gavin Newsom, who increasingly looks like he wants to make a presidential bid. California has become a frequent whipping post for Republicans, who seek to tie the state’s liberal politics and high cost of living to Democrats nationwide. A governor who can’t communicate well or show that they’re willing to work across the aisle will just frustrate the party further.

Americans often look to their state executives to strike a conciliatory, not a combative tone. And if it looks like your state’s next governor has a habit of screaming at staff over trivial matters or berating reporters for asking follow-up questions, then it might not matter at all how populist their convictions about Wall Street are.

For all of Newsom’s faults, one thing you can’t say about him is that he’s a poor communicator. He did, after all, have a cordial podcast conversation with the late Charlie Kirk. If Porter can’t handle a few follow-up questions, it’s hard to see her being able to reach voters across the aisle any better than Newsom did.

In the era of Trump, it’s easy to think that personality is all that matters. Despite being a bit of an abrasive blowhard himself, the President has the benefit of being funny and at times even charming. Chewing out hapless reporters and junior staff is not a personality quirk — it’s a political defect.

---

Zaid Jilani is a journalist who has worked for UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, The Intercept, and the Center for American Progress.

ZaidJilani

---