Katie Porter yelled at her staffer to "get out of my f–king shot" on a live video call – and the whole world watched.
Now California's most volatile gubernatorial candidate is trying to ride a scandal-ridden Democrat's collapse straight to the governor's mansion.
Harmeet Dhillon just made sure voters don't forget who they're really rallying behind.
The Trump DOJ Wasn't Buying It
When Porter took to social media this week to highlight a San Francisco column urging Democrats to consolidate behind her campaign, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon replied with three words: "You're a freak too."
The timing was surgical. Dhillon fired back just days after Swalwell – who had been leading the Democratic field – suspended his campaign following sexual misconduct allegations from four women, including rape claims he has denied. With Democrats in full panic mode over who absorbs Swalwell's voters ahead of the June 2 primary, Porter was positioning herself as the obvious heir.
Dhillon wasn't buying the makeover.
The Record Porter Wants You to Forget
The "freak" label lands with extra force because Porter spent years cultivating a very specific image – the tough-but-principled lawmaker who held CEOs accountable with a whiteboard. That image has been quietly collapsing for months.
Start with the staffer video. Footage from a 2021 video call showed Porter screaming at a staff member to "get out of my f–king shot." Libs of TikTok amplified the clip in October 2025, and it went viral. Days later, a CBS News Sacramento interview imploded when a reporter asked Porter what she'd say to the 40 percent of California voters who supported Trump. Porter threatened to walk out, snapping: "Not with seven follow-ups to every question you ask."
Former state controller Betty Yee – a fellow Democratic candidate – called Porter "a weak, self-destructive candidate unfit to lead California." That's not a Republican attack. That's a Democrat.
Then there are the divorce filings.
Porter's ex-husband Matthew Hoffman alleged in court documents that she routinely berated him as a "f–king idiot" and "f–king incompetent," and told him he couldn't have a cellphone because he was "too f–king dumb to operate it."
He alleged she dumped steaming hot potatoes on his head during a dinner dispute and shattered a glass coffee pot in anger over a dirty house, cutting his hands and arms.
Porter filed her own restraining order against Hoffman first – the day after a 2013 altercation that ended with his arrest on battery charges. She accused him of physical abuse, and a judge granted her order. Porter has publicly described herself as a domestic violence survivor.
But when Fox News Digital asked Hoffman whether he retracted his allegations – as Porter's campaign claimed – he was direct: "I do not recant the allegations." No court document includes any finding of fault against either party.
A Party Running Out of Options
Billionaire Tom Steyer has burned through more than $108 million in ads and is still fighting for double-digit poll numbers. The rest of the field – Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond – has no money and no breakout moment.
Republicans Steve Hilton, backed by Trump, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are positioned to potentially claim both top-two primary slots and lock Democrats out of the general entirely.
Porter's internal polling showed nearly half of Swalwell's supporters named her as their second choice. Her campaign is leaning hard on that number.
The June 2 jungle primary doesn't care about internal polls. It cares about ad spending Porter can't match, a fractured progressive base with no clear home, and a candidate whose public appearances have become liability audits.
Harmeet Dhillon summed up the situation in three words. California Democrats need six months to fix it.
Sources:
- Staff, "You're a Freak Too: DOJ Official Torches Katie Porter as Eric Swalwell Exit Shakes California Race," LifeZette, April 14, 2026.
- Houston Keene, "Calif. Rep. Katie Porter's Ex-Husband Stands by Domestic Abuse Allegations Against Her," Fox News, April 13, 2023.
- Staff, "Eric Swalwell's Exit Adds Fresh Uncertainty to California Governor's Race," Fox News, April 14, 2026.
- Staff, "Where the California Governor Race Stands After Swalwell's Exit," Fox News Digital, April 13, 2026.
