Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) walked back her comment that the California Senate primary she lost was rigged.
NBC News reported:
Rep. Katie Porter says she regrets claiming that billionaires tried to “rig” California’s Senate primary after she failed to advance to the general election.
“Obviously I wish I had chosen a different word,” Porter, D-Calif., said on an episode of “Pod Save America” Tuesday.
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“At no time and in no way would I suggest that there is anything other than a careful, thoughtful, amazing election system that really should be the model for much of the country, in my opinion,” he added.
Congresswoman Porter was immediately criticized by Democrats for using Trumpian language, suggesting that an election that didn’t go the way she wanted was rigged.
On the one hand, Congressman Porter’s disappointment was understandable. His advancement in the general election against fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff seemed like an overwhelming certainty. However, the primary calculus changed when MAGA Republican Steve Garvey entered the primary.
Schiff’s campaign ran ads supporting Garvey and likely brought some Republicans to the polls who would not have voted otherwise, but Porter should still have had the advantage. Congresswoman Porter’s campaign has decided to focus on climate change rather than the economy, democracy or the Dobbs decision as a closing argument for primary voters. It was a choice that did not yield the desired results from the campaign.
Porter will not run for his House seat, but he could find himself with a spot in a second Biden administration if the president wins reelection, or he could try to return to the House in two years.
Katie Porter is a talented public servant who used an unfortunate term in a moment of disappointment, but is likely to soon return to serving the people.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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