California dreamin’: Could a Trump-supporting Brexit cheerleader capitalise on Democrats' dithering?

Democrats dominate Californian politics, and control 43 of their 52 Congressional seats, so you would think a Brexit cheerleader with a penchant for cycling shorts would have little chance of victory. But we’ve been down this road before, writes Marion McKeone.

Former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra (C) looks on as Former Democratic US Representative Katie Porter and Republican political commentator Steve Hilton fist bump during a California gubernatorial debate at Bridges Auditorium on the campus of Pomona College in Claremont, California, on April 28, 2026. The eight candidates for California governor are participating in the second televised debate, ahead of the June 2, 2026 primary elections. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

“This is worse than my teenagers at dinner,” Katie Porter declared in the midst of the final chaotic debate in the shambolic, scandal-plagued race to become California's next governor.

It was something of an unfortunate quip, given Porter’s ex-husband’s claim that the former Democratic Congresswoman once emptied a pot of potatoes over his head during a dinnertime argument, something her opponents have lost few opportunities to highlight.