Katie Porter makes a career pivot after back-to-back election losses

Former Rep. Katie Porter leaped headfirst into two highly competitive races over the past few years –– one for the U.S. Senate and the other for California governor. But after losing both elections, the law professor is taking a step back from the political spotlight overall.

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Porter, 52, announced Wednesday that she is done with politics — “for now” — and will be focusing most of her time on reading. She rebranded her professional social media account with a new handle, “Katie Porter Turns The Page,” in a nod, she said, to the moment in her life she is in now.

“Hi, it’s Katie Porter with a nonpolitical post. I am done for now with politics and campaigning,” she said in a video posted to Instagram, explaining that she always loved reading and will now be dedicating her time to reading. 

“It’s partly a reference to a new chapter in my life, to the change, but also to something I do a lot, which is turn the page when I am reading. I’m a fast reader, so stay tuned for book recommendations,” she said.

SFGATE reached out to Porter for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

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Porter was a protege of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at Harvard Law School, then went on to flip Orange County blue by winning an open House seat during the 2018 midterm elections. She rose to fame while in Congress for using her infamous white board to point out wealth and health disparities to high-powered CEOs and executives. 

Porter, a single mother to three kids, has continued to teach law at the University of California, Irvine. In 2024, she took a bet to risk her House seat and ran for Senate to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. She ultimately lost the primary to now-Sen. Adam Schiff. A year later, she jumped into the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, but the race was quickly stuffed full of hopeful Democrats. Porter came in fifth place in the June 2 primaries, securing more than 400,000 votes, or just 4%.