They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but maybe we should think about changing the saying to “hell hath no fury like a Democrat defeated.”
Today’s entry in hypocritical Democratic tantrums comes from California Rep. Katie Porter, who until last week was one of the candidates running for the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
Porter is drawing the ire of her fellow Democrats for claiming that the primary election was “rigged” against her.
And that’s after getting her campaign off on the wrong foot by announcing her bid before Feinstein even confirmed she was retiring, showing the elderly senator what many regarded as a lack of respect, Politico reported.
Spending her campaign attacking corporations and the entrenched establishment of the Washington, D.C., swamp, Porter ended up finishing a distant third behind Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican ex-baseball star Steve Garvey.
Now, there are many, many reasons Porter lost, including the fact that her promises to shake up the Senate rang a little hollow, seeing as she’s been in Washington for five years now.
The high profile of her Democratic opponent didn’t help her either. Schiff, of course, was one of the leading figures in the first Donald Trump impeachment circus.
From being outmaneuvered by Schiff to lacking campaign funds to coming across as sour grapes, Porter didn’t have much of a chance.
But what’s earning her the most criticism are her public comments following her loss.
On Wednesday, Porter took to social media to blame her defeat on “billionaires spending millions to rig this election.”
Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and voted to shake up the status quo in Washington. Because of you, we had the establishment running scared — withstanding 3 to 1 in TV spending and an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election. (1/)
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) March 6, 2024
Oh, the irony.
One user called out the hypocrisy, saying Porter sounded “just like a Trump,” while another pointed out that she had also benefited from super PAC money.
“You did the same thing you’re mad at Schiff for doing. Just stop. You sound like a sore loser.”
“rig this election” sounds just like a Trump. Do better
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 7, 2024
You also had a SUPER PAC supporting you.
And you did the same thing you’re mad at Schiff for doing.
Just stop. You sound like a sore loser.https://t.co/JInZ5nrf5d
— Leia🌻 (@TheSWPrincess) March 7, 2024
Following the backlash, Porter quickly issued a statement clarifying what she meant by “rigged.”
“‘Rigged’ means manipulated by dishonest means,” she said. “A few billionaires spent $10 million+ on attack ads against me, including an ad rated ‘false’ by an independent fact checker.”
“I said ‘rigged by billionaires’ and our politics are — in fact — manipulated by big dark money. Defending democracy means calling that out.”
Please find a statement from me below. pic.twitter.com/as8H2cHWL8
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) March 7, 2024
Based on the evidence, Porter is more angry at Schiff for playing the game better than she did than she is at his donors for supposedly rigging the election against her.
Not only has Porter burned several bridges within the Democratic Party, but she did it all for nothing. She lost the Senate race and, having said she would vacate her seat in the House, she’s given Republicans a chance to slip in and flip that seat.
Anti-establishment rhetoric just isn’t enough against the establishment candidates these days — not if you’re a Democrat, anyway.
