Katie Porter Calls Senate Seat Primary Election ‘Rigged by Billionaires’

Her comment received backlash from both Democrats and Republicans for its resemblance to language previously used by former President Donald Trump.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., speaks during a small rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court calling for ethics reform on the High Court in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former Dodgers baseball All-Star Steve Garvey gear up for a November runoff election for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Dianne Feinstein, candidate Rep. Katie Porter faced criticism March 7 for alleging that the system to select candidates is “rigged.”

Ms. Porter, who finished third in the primary election with 14.8 percent of the vote as of Sunday evening, said in a March 6 statement on X that some of Mr. Schiff’s donors spent millions of dollars to “rig” the election.