California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter on Monday won the endorsement of EMILY’s List, a prominent Democratic women’s group that backs candidates who support abortion rights.
The organization could provide significant funding and grassroots support to boost Porter’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign.
The organization’s name, an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast, is a nod to the idea that early fundraising helps female candidates rise. Founded four decades ago to support Democratic women who back legal abortion, the group has raised nearly $950 million to elect them nationwide, including helping propel Porter’s successful House bid to flip a GOP-held Orange County seat in 2018.
After months of hinting she would run, Porter launched her bid for governor on March 11 and instantly became the front-runner. She announced her 2026 gubernatorial campaign in a social media post in which she touted her independence from special interest groups and corporations and attacked President Donald Trump.
“I first ran for office to hold Trump accountable,” she said in the video. “I feel that same call to serve now to stop him from hurting Californians. As governor, I won’t ever back down when Trump hurts Californians — whether he’s holding up disaster relief, attacking our rights or our communities, or screwing over working families to benefit himself and his cronies.”
California has become one of Trump’s most prominent targets. The state has repeatedly clashed with the administration over legal challenges and executive actions involving immigration, military deployment, voting restrictions, and environmental policy.
“There’s nothing that Donald Trump hates more than facing down a strong, powerful woman,” Porter said. “For decades, EMILY’s List has backed winner after winner, helping elect pro-choice Democratic women to public office. They were instrumental in helping me flip a Republican stronghold blue in 2018, and together I’m confident we will make history again.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is termed out of office next year and is considered a front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. The race to replace him has attracted a variety of candidates, including former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) has also purportedly been considering a run. On the Republican side, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are among six declared candidates in the crowded field.
Last week, Democratic candidate Toni Atkins, the former state Senate president, dropped out of the contest, telling supporters she was leaving with a “heavy heart” but that “there is simply no viable path forward to victory.”
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Atkins had more money in her campaign coffers than any other candidate, as well as support from state lawmakers and leaders. Even so, she believed she could not keep up with candidates with greater name recognition, such as Porter.
In August, state Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis also dropped out. She was the first to enter the gubernatorial race over two years ago, but said she would now run for state treasurer. It was odd timing for Kounalakis, who had been unofficially endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a day before her announcement.
