Rep. Kathy Porter says she regrets claims billionaires are trying to create ‘mistake’ California Senate primary after he failed to advance in the general election.
“Obviously I should have chosen a different word,” he said Porter, California, California Tuesday in an episode of “Pod Save America.”
“I would never, in any way, say that I think there is anything other than a careful, thoughtful, amazing electoral system that really should be a model for many countries,” he said.
A day after the March 5 primary, Porter thanked supporters who “voted to shake up the status quo in Washington” before fueling controversy by suggesting the election was rigged.
“Thanks to you, we the establishment were scared – to withstand a 3-to-1 deficit in TV spending and an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election,” he said. In a post for X.
Porter’s choice of words was quickly compared to that of former President Donald Trump, who falsely claimed the contest was rigged and involved widespread election fraud since the 2020 election.
On Tuesday’s podcast, Porter argued that one point lost in the controversy over his comments is that “big money is influencing our elections.”
“Results are manipulated and distorted when people spend millions and millions of dollars at the last minute and that money is not disclosed until after the election,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who is advancing to a November runoff in the Senate race, addressed Porter’s post-election comments in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program on March 10.
“This term ‘fake’ is a very loaded term in the Trump era. It refers to fraudulent claims or ballot stuffing, Donald Trump claims,” Schiff said. “I think what’s remarkable is that Democrats came together very quickly and said, ‘No, we’re not using that language. The election was legitimate.” This is in stark contrast to the Republican Party’s stance on allegations of rigged elections.
Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey will compete in November for the Senate seat previously held by longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein. he said in February last year He said he will retire at the end of 2024 dead In September.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, appointed Laphonza Butler to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term, and Butler said she don’t run away In 2024.