Mar 7, 2024,06:22am EST
Democratic Representative Katie Porter of California defended her statements on Wednesday, alleging that the California Senate primary, where she was defeated by Representative Adam Schiff, was “rigged” against her by an “onslaught of billionaires.” Porter, a progressive candidate who secured only 14% of the vote as of Wednesday night, faced criticism for using language reminiscent of former President Donald Trump’s claims during the 2020 election.
In a statement, Porter thanked her supporters, asserting that her campaign “had the establishment running scared” and withstood “an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” However, her remarks triggered pushback on social media, with Democratic strategist Steve Schale questioning the use of the term “rigged,” and attorney Ari Cohn calling Porter “shameful” for insinuating that anything she disliked in a campaign was an attempt to “rig” the election.
Porter released a second statement defending her comments, explaining that “‘rigged’ means manipulated by dishonest means” and that billionaires spending $10 million on false attack ads against her constituted using “dishonest means to manipulate an outcome.” The reference in Porter’s statement was to spending by the super PAC Fairshake in the California race, which, backed by billionaires including Marc Andreessen, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and the Winklevoss twins, spent at least $10 million opposing Porter in the primary.
The campaign dynamics were further influenced by a strategy employed by Schiff, who ran ads highlighting Steve Garvey, the leading GOP candidate, with the goal of elevating him and potentially knocking Porter out of the race. The top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
Porter emphasized that her use of the term “rigged by billionaires” was meant to call out the influence of big dark money in politics, not to undermine the vote count and election process. Looking ahead, Schiff and Garvey are set to face off in the general election, with Schiff heavily favored in California’s largely Democratic population.
Porter’s next political steps remain uncertain, as she had to give up her House seat to run for the Senate. In terms of campaign finances, Porter’s Senate campaign raised $28 million, while Schiff’s campaign amassed $31.4 million. The California Senate race will determine the successor to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, with Porter entering the race even before Feinstein’s death in September 2023. Porter’s loss in the Senate primary followed her narrow reelection victory in 2022, where she won 51.7% of the vote in her swing district.