California’s Democratic candidate for governor, Katie Porter, has sparked controversy after a recently surfaced video revealed her harsh reprimand of a staff member during a discussion about the Biden administration’s environmental initiatives.
In the footage, which was highlighted by Politico, the former Congresswoman transitioned from a calm demeanor while speaking about electric vehicles with then-Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to a furious and disrespectful confrontation with a staffer who inadvertently appeared on screen.
“Get out of my f—king shot!” Porter aggressively admonished her staffer, whose appearance on camera was unintentended, as depicted in the clip.
The staffer attempted to correct a previous assertion made by Porter, but the Congresswoman maintained her aggressive stance.
.@melmason at Politico shares this footage from 2021, in which Porter yells at a staffer: “get out of my fucking shot!”
See the moment here:
Watch the full video at this linkhttps://t.co/0BILpHn5p6 pic.twitter.com/kTTNA7hqPB— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 8, 2025
“Okay. Okay. You were already in my shot before that,” she retorted sharply.
“Stay out of my shot!”
Previously, Porter faced criticism for her treatment of employees in 2022, when she allegedly demoted Navy veteran and employee Sasha Georgiades, claiming the staffer was responsible for infecting her with COVID-19.
Scrutiny of the leading Democratic candidate in California has intensified following an erratic interview in which she threatened to walk out after being asked straightforward questions.
“I don’t want to continue this. I’m going to call it,” Porter expressed in a widely circulated moment.
Porter argued that the interview—where questions were consistent with those asked of all gubernatorial candidates—was cluttered with follow-ups.
“Ms. Porter, I am an investigative reporter,” responded Julie Watts incredulously to Porter’s outburst. “Have you never had to have a conversation with a reporter?”
Porter’s temper issues are not limited to on-camera exchanges, as incidents in her personal life have also attracted negative attention. Her ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman, disclosed in divorce proceedings that Porter allegedly verbally abused him, regularly hurled objects, and even once poured hot mashed potatoes on him during a dispute.
“When she gets mad, she will scratch and claw at her arms then say, ‘Look what you made me do,’” Hoffman recounted in court documents.
Hoffman also indicated that Porter would berate him in front of their children, causing them to act out against him, as revealed in the records.
Running for Congress, Porter claimed to have been a “victim of domestic violence,” revealing she had filed a restraining order against a former boyfriend, as reported by Politico.
