The US House of Representatives features 435 representatives, allocated based on population to each of the 50 states. In California, 53 elected officials serve, hailing from districts all over the state. Particularly empowering and fascinating is CA-45 Congresswoman Katie Porter.
Before running for office, Katie Porter was a lawyer and tenured law professor at the University of California, Irvine. When studying law at Harvard, she was a mentee of Senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Porter made history in 2018 when she became the first Democrat elected to represent the historically-red district. She kept her seat in the 2020 election. Speaking on the congressional election, she stated, “I won, we won, because we grew the base of voters who share our values – not because we tried to talk Republicans into embracing us just long enough to cast a ballot.” During her service, she has continued to emphasize that she is passionate about working for all of her constituents, regardless of if they voted for her initially.
Within the Democratic caucus, Porter currently serves on the Committee of Natural Resources and the Committee on Oversight and Reform. For the latter, she has gone viral several times for her impressive questioning abilities. Porter is known for her now-iconic whiteboard, on which she is always prepared to write the evidence. She has earned praise from constituents and major news platforms alike for her honesty, sharpness and ability to ask the right questions to reveal scamming corporations’ shortcomings.
Beyond her Capitol Hill accomplishments, Porter continues to be an active informant in her district. Virtual Town Hall Meetings and appearances at city and county events are frequently advertised on her social media accounts. A self-described “minivan-driving single mom, law professor, [and] consumer advocate”, her relatability remains a key admirable quality to many. She is an excellent example of using success to advocate and empower.