Katherine Moore Porter[1] (born January 3, 1974) is an American politician and lawyer who served from 2019 to 2025 as a U.S. representative from California.

[12][13] She studied under bankruptcy law professor and future U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren, and graduated magna cum laude with her Juris Doctor in 2001.

[6] Porter was a law clerk for Judge Richard S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in Little Rock, Arkansas.

[18][8][19] In March 2012, California attorney general Kamala Harris appointed Porter to be the state's independent monitor of banks in a nationwide $25 billion mortgage settlement.

[23] In the 2018 elections, Porter defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mimi Walters in California's 45th congressional district.

[30] Porter and Harley Rouda, also elected in 2018, were the first non-Hispanic Democrats to represent Orange County-based districts since Jerry M. Patterson left office in 1985.

[32] Porter has cited an overhaul of campaign finance laws and protection of voting rights as legislative priorities.

She advanced from the top-two primary in first place and faced off against the second-place finisher, Republican Mission Viejo mayor Greg Raths, in the general election.

[35] In June 2019, Porter became one of the first Democrats in a swing district to support an impeachment inquiry following Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation.

[51] During Trump's presidency, Porter gained notice for her pointed questioning of public officials and business leaders during congressional hearings, often using visual aids such as whiteboards.

[52][53] In March 2019, Porter questioned Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan, arguing that he contradicted his lawyers' "corporate puffery".

[55] In May 2019, she asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson about "REOs", real estate owned properties, which he confused with Oreo cookies.

[55] In March 2020, Robert R. Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, committed to make COVID-19 testing free for all Americans during questioning by Porter.

[57] In a December 2020 House hearing, she sparred with United States Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin over COVID-19 relief funding.

[74] In response to the allegations that she created a toxic workplace, Porter defended herself on The View in April 2023 by comparing herself to women of color who are discriminated against.

[78][79] Her supporters formed a super PAC called Women Have Initiative To Elect, Boost, and Organize for A Real Democrat (WHITEBOARD).

[86] She claimed that the "rigging" criticism referred to Schiff's campaign and allies raising and spending $11 million in the nonpartisan primary to boost a Republican candidate and knock her out of the general election.

[87][88] Her use of the word "rigged" triggered backlash from some Democrats, who condemned her language for echoing former president Trump's refusal to accept his 2020 loss.

"[82] She made clear that her assertions about the "rigging" were not related to counting of votes or the election process, which she called "beyond reproach".

[94] The university then continually granted Porter no-pay leave, as is the norm for faculty providing service to the nation such as NSF Program officer or member of Congress, allowing her to keep her residence on campus during her congressional tenure.