Robin Epley: Katie Porter says she's done with politics. California shouldn't let her go

Robin Epley, The Sacramento Bee on Jul 22, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Katie Porter says she’s “closing the door” on politics to become a book influencer. If that’s true, then it’s a shame, and a loss for California.

It wouldn’t be a loss for BookTok, the name for the community of online book lovers who rely on influencers to show them their next great read. I have no doubt that Porter has excellent taste in books; she even went viral in January 2023 for a candid photo of her reading a popular (and aptly-titled) self-help book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson, while seated on the House floor during the GOP’s infamous battle to elect a speaker of the House.

But a BookTokker, Porter is not. She is a public servant, and she belongs in politics.

Her progressive ideals for California deserve a place on the stage, and her vow to refuse corporate money and PAC contributions is at the vanguard of a political movement.

As a protégé and former student of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Porter flipped a Republican-held Orange County congressional seat in 2018. Then in Congress, she developed a reputation for grilling executives with data-driven evidence under the first Trump administration, and then during the Biden administration, too.

Porter said those moments would forever be a part of her political legacy: “I think we’ve seen a higher level of preparation and engagement in hearings since I was in Congress, and that makes me proud because that is an example of government working.”

But in the California gubernatorial primary earlier this year, Porter finished a distant fifth, with only about 5% of the vote. That’s a shame, since anyone who got to know her politics beyond the headlines could easily see she was the best candidate for the job. The Bee Editorial Board interviewed all the major candidates in the race and Porter’s answers to our questions and her knowledge of the issues were leagues above either of the men who will go on to battle in the general election.

As I wrote in our endorsement editorial: “Porter (was) at her most compelling when she clearly identified and prioritized the loathsome income inequality that is rotting away at our economy — and indeed, at our nation’s democracy.”

But I think voters were influenced by fears of a Democratic lockout in California’s top two primary system, and wanted to pick a perceived winner in former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

That lockout meant Porter, the only one dogged by news stories about a temperament that would have been considered par for the course in a male candidate, never got a fighting chance.

“I don’t know what I could have said or done other than be a man,” Porter told The Sacramento Bee last week. “It is not hard to come up with female candidates for whom the term temperament has been used. I challenge you to come up with a male candidate.”

But even if Porter’s not the one to bring her ideals to a bigger stage, I still believe she can work behind the scenes to mentor a protégé of her own.

Not so long ago, I asked a state senator why she wouldn’t run for Congress, since everyone had expected her to, and it seemed to be the next natural step in her career. She explained that when you step onto a bigger stage like Washington, D.C., by definition of distance, you lose touch with the people in your community. She felt she could better affect change for her district by remaining, at least for now, in the state senate.

Perhaps Porter, after serving time in the House of Representatives, assumes her career must step up to a bigger stage to remain relevant or useful. That’s a trap we all fall into sometimes. But taking a step back often leads to two steps forward.

And while I nonetheless think she would have made a great U.S. Senator, or even governor — after all, The Bee’s editorial board did endorse her for the latter, along with The San Francisco Chronicle — I think Porter still can serve her community by remaining in politics. Even if it’s a job with less prestige than her talents deserve.

Listen Katie, I get it. You know as well as I do that women in male-dominated fields have to be stronger than constant failure. We have to pick ourselves up after a fall and get back to it, because who else is going to do the work?

So by all means, become a book influencer — though I think it’s much harder work than most people give it credit for. I might even read a few of your recommendations. But I know a public servant when I see one, and you, Katie Porter, belong in politics.