California’s gubernatorial race just got a whole lot messier with Katie Porter, a former congresswoman, under fire for shocking allegations of verbal and physical abuse from her past marriage, the New York Post reported.
As the campaign heats up ahead of the November 3rd election, Porter’s personal history and public demeanor are drawing intense scrutiny from resurfaced divorce papers and viral clips showing her temper with staff and media.
Let’s rewind to 2003, when Porter married Matthew Hoffman, with whom she had three children before their union unraveled into a bitter divorce in 2013.
Hoffman’s court filings paint a grim picture, alleging Porter routinely berated him with insults like “f—ing idiot” and even barred him from owning a cell phone with the cutting remark, “You’re too f—ing dumb to operate it,” as stated by Hoffman in divorce documents.
That’s not just harsh—it’s a glimpse into a dynamic that, if true, raises serious questions about character for someone vying to lead a state as complex as California.
Beyond words, Hoffman claimed physical altercations, including an incident in 2006 where Porter allegedly dumped a ceramic bowl of scalding mashed potatoes on his head, burning his scalp, during a spat over cooking instructions.
Fast forward to 2012, and Hoffman described another explosive moment when Porter reportedly shattered a glass coffee pot on their kitchen counter in a rage over household cleanliness.
He also alleged she would scratch her own arms during arguments and blame him, saying, “Look what you made me do!” as a tactic to shift accountability, per his statements in court records.
Worst of all, Hoffman claimed Porter criticized his parenting in front of their kids, leading them to mimic her hostility by spitting at him and calling him “bad daddy”—a heartbreaking detail if accurate.
Porter, for her part, has framed herself differently, telling HuffPost in May 2018, “I’m the most boring person in America,” while emphasizing her role as a protective single mother who ended a troubled marriage.
Boring? Hardly, when divorce docs and recent videos suggest a temper that could rival a wildfire in the Golden State.
During her 2018 congressional bid, she positioned herself as a victim of domestic strife, a narrative that now clashes awkwardly with these allegations of being the aggressor.
Recent viral footage hasn’t helped her case, showing Porter snapping at a staffer in a 2021 Zoom meeting with, “get out of my f–king shot,” revealing a raw edge far from the polished image of a gubernatorial hopeful.
Then there’s the heated CBS interview with reporter Julie Watts, where Porter dodged questions about Trump voters, accused Watts of being “unnecessarily argumentative,” and tried to shut down the exchange—a move that screams aversion to accountability.
With opponents like former state controller Betty Yee slamming her on social media as “a weak, self-destructive candidate unfit to lead California,” Porter’s lead in the polls is looking shakier by the day, and it’s hard to argue she’s not stepping on her own campaign’s toes with every outburst.
