Former California Representative Katie Porter announced Friday that she is retiring from electoral politics, stating she is "closing the door on being a candidate" following unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Senate and the California governorship.

In an interview with the Sacramento Bee, Porter expressed that she cannot "foresee that path back" to seeking public office. Her announcement comes after a fifth-place finish in the recent California gubernatorial race.

Porter, who had previously held a seat in the House of Representatives, left Congress in 2023 to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the late Dianne Feinstein. Although she garnered over one million votes in that race, she did not advance to the general election, falling short of candidates Steve Garvey and Adam Schiff, who ultimately won the seat.

Both of Porter's high-profile campaigns were reportedly impacted by controversies surrounding her conduct. During her Senate run, allegations surfaced that she had mistreated her staff. One alleged incident involved her chastising a staff member for contracting COVID-19. Texts released at the time showed Porter stating, "you gave me Covid" and that her "children have nobody to care for them." Porter denied firing the staffer for this incident, stating, "I regret if this employee feels disgruntled."

These issues resurfaced during her gubernatorial campaign in 2025, when a video surfaced showing Porter yelling at a staffer. In the clip, she can be heard saying, "GET OUT OF MY F***ING SHOT."

Porter also faced criticism for abruptly ending an interview with a local reporter.

The reported controversies appeared to affect her electability. In the 2024 Senate primary, Porter secured third place with 1.27 million votes, or 17.2% of the electorate. However, in the 2025 gubernatorial race, her support significantly diminished, as she finished fifth with 403,908 votes, representing 4.4% of the vote, according to California's Secretary of State.

Porter told the Sacramento Bee that she plans to focus on creating social media content about books moving forward.