Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. IFRAME: [1]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P [2]Skip to main content (Submit) Open main navigation Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [3]Full Schedule [4]All Programs Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [5]Full Schedule [6]All Programs * [7]United States [8]US Politics + [9]Immigration + [10]All About America + [11]Science & Health + [12]Silicon Valley & Technology * World [13]Africa + [14]The Americas + [15]East Asia Pacific + [16]Europe + [17]Extremism Watch + [18]Middle East + [19]South & Central Asia + [20]VOA News on Iran * Sections [21]Arts & Culture + [22]Day in Photos + [23]Economy & Business + [24]Press Freedom + [25]Plugged in with Greta Van Susteren + [26]VOA StudentU + [27]VOA Connect * [28]US News * [29]Press Freedom * [30]Silicon Valley & Technology * [31]VOA StudentU [32]Voice of America Logo (Submit) Search Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search (Submit) Eng [33]Live TV Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [34]Full Schedule [35]All Programs [36]Live Radio Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [37]Full Schedule [38]All Programs English [39]English [40]voanews.com [41]Learning English [42]learningenglish.voanews.com Eastern & Central Europe [43]Shqip [44]zeriamerikes.com [45]Bosanski [46]ba.voanews.com [47]Îλληνικά [48]gr.voanews.com [49]ÐакедонÑки [50]mk.voanews.com [51]Srpski [52]glasamerike.net [53]УкÑаÑнÑÑка [54]ukrainian.voanews.com Eurasia [55]ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶ [56]amerikayidzayn.com [57]Azerbaijani [58]amerikaninsesi.org [59]á¥áá áá£áá [60]amerikiskhma.com [61]Ð ÑÑÑкий [62]golos-ameriki.ru Central Asia [63]O'zbek' [64]amerikaovozi.com South Asia [65]বাà¦à¦²à¦¾ [66]voabangla.com [67]Ø¯Ø±Û [68]darivoa.com [69]Ù¾Úت٠[70]pashtovoa.com [71]ÙÛ Ø§Ù Ø§Û ÚÙÙ٠رÙÚÛÙ [72]voadeewanews.com [73]ارد [74]urduvoa.com East & Southeast Asia [75]á»ááá¹áᬠ[76]burmese.voanews.com [77]ç²¤è¯ [78]voacantonese.com [79]ä¸æ [80]voachinese.com [81]Bahasa Indonesia [82]voaindonesia.com [83]ááááá [84]khmer.voanews.com [85]Khmer [86]voacambodia.com [87]íêµì´ [88]voakorea.com [89]ລາວ [90]lao.voanews.com [91]à¹à¸à¸¢ [92]voathai.com [93]à½à½¼à½à¼à½¡à½²à½ [94]voatibetan.com [95]Tiếng Viá»t [96]voatiengviet.com Africa [97]Afaan Oromoo [98]voaafaanoromoo.com [99]á ááá [100]amharic.voanews.com [101]Bambara [102]voabambara.com [103]Français [104]voaafrique.com [105]Hausa [106]voahausa.com [107]Kinyarwanda / Kirundi [108]radiyoyacuvoa.com [109]Ndebele [110]voandebele.com [111]Português [112]voaportugues.com [113]Shona [114]voashona.com [115]Soomaaliga [116]voasomali.com [117]Kiswahili [118]voaswahili.com [119]áµááá [120]tigrigna.voanews.com [121]Zimbabwe [122]voazimbabwe.com Middle East/North Africa [123]ÙØ§Ø±Ø³Û [124]ir.voanews.com [125]ÙÙØ±Ø¯Û [126]dengiamerika.com [127]Kurdi [128]dengeamerika.com [129]Türkçe [130]amerikaninsesi.com Latin America [131]Creole [132]voanouvel.com [133]Español [134]voanoticias.com [135]USA Former Law Professor, Single Mom of 3 Adjusts to New Job on Capitol Hill By Carolyn Presutti September 6, 2019 11:44 AM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Print this page Comments WASHINGTON / IRVINE, CA - "Professor could I do you a favor? Could I introduce myself?" First year Democratic US Representative Katie Porter is not shy. "Because it would go faster. 'Cause I've done this a million times." Porter was speaking to students at [136]Concordia University in Irvine, a private Lutheran college nestled atop a hill overlooking Orange County, California, 10 km inland from the Pacific Ocean. She knows this audience is a treasure trove of new voters because their demographic helped her become the first-ever Democratic Representative from California's 45th congressional district. Porter was a law professor at a nearby college -- [137]University of California Irvine (UCI) -- when she decided to run for office. Women making history Katie Porter is indicative of many first-year Democrats who ran for office to protest the policies of President Donald Trump. The 2018 midterm winners became the class of the 116th Congress -- the most diverse in history. Almost one in four is a woman, the highest female percentage of voting members to serve in the US House of Representatives. But even as a record 102 voting female representatives made history, Porter finds the Capitol lacking in gender equality and says it remains what she calls "a male institution." "All the furniture is too big for women to sit in'¦and I'm not a particularly petite woman," says Porter as she explains her feet don't reach the floor in the traditional leather office chairs. She also says the official Congressional House pin which has become a security feature to identify true House members, is a lapel pin "which works great if you're a man, and you're wearing a jacket." [djJ8MjQ0NjMzMnwjTtYj-Yxe20OaVd_v4JtKRFXlStdgOLOy726XXJM1nVzY2dBmbXndHY M6Kg-S47SewQgK0SJohEgbqITJtp2xT1JbOw5iyePJFsC7_E6OO3D4my8hYQHxiLELv7icr JMkqNQu9iZewclE5x0puw66s1ryQ-v5t9qF5Cqpr5fW4QNXPueRGUInEM4lvn_R9Lz9ugKK OqzWJnGd4kWL4f7o] First Term Congresswoman Adjusts to Life on Capitol Hill video player. [138]Embed ____________________ (Submit) Copy A promising protégée While her peers have made headlines from their diversity of color, religion or sexual orientation, Porter -- a white woman born to an Iowa farmer -- is getting noticed through her sharp questioning of witnesses who testify before the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees housing and financial institutions. She honed her lawyerly style of questioning under her professors at Harvard Law School. One of those professors is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination to challenge President Trump in 2020. Porter says she had brunch with Warren after Trump was elected and told her mentor three career ideas she was considering. Porter says Warren told her the first idea was terrible and the second was forgettable. The third idea was to run for Congress. Porter says Warren responded, "'Now that is a good idea.'" How a freshman gets media notice A month after Porter was sworn in, she received her first national media exposure by sharply questioning a corporate CEO, Mark Begor. His [139]credit card reporting agency Equifax was under fire for a 2017 data breach that exposed 147 million customers to possibe data theft. Porter began by asking Begor to release his own Social Security number, date of birth and home address in the public hearing. When he refused to do so because of[140] privacy concerns, she asked, "Why are your lawyers arguing in federal court that there was no injury and no harm created by your data breach?" [djJ8MjQ0NjMzMnxjoQGezcLilXgUmp43elJ_PEfzfe9jVvAcHJOP0Jl6ohRBIqBm1hhojS gmDBkJU7TnBWfxSBvdh4ok3S-2nSEzf8a9R8tqBAG5U5I_AtatrwYlCL-HnVX8-dIGe00bv 4zDWZDrXHfIazv-6bddh89OB5dabuTCfwhTJbgmaVOYIbcudC-bfWbW9ar3gzakrmH-fePp I37HC6rJaJ8AqvIw] Freshman Representative Makes National News video player. [141]Embed ____________________ (Submit) Copy It happened time and time again, with Porter calling corporate CEOs to task. She also humiliated Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson when he couldn't recognize a [142]common foreclosure term known as an REO. Carson seemed to think she was talking about an "Oreo," a popular black and white sandwich cookie. "No, not an 'Oreo,' an R-E-O," instructed Porter. "Real estate?" asked Carson. Porter persisted, demanding to know "What's the "O" stand for?" Carson, sheepishly, did not answer correctly. Finding care for three children Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter hugs her son at the end of her midterm election night party in Irvine, California, U.S. November 6, 2018. Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter hugs her son at the end of her midterm election night party in Irvine, California, U.S. November 6, 2018. Porter is a divorced mother of three school-aged children. She says that as a member of Congress, she's often asked about them. The children continue to live and go to school in California, and see their mother when she returns home from Washington or they visit her there. "I've been a working parent for my whole career," Porter said. While Congress is in session, the freshman legislator lives on Capitol Hill in a one bedroom unit, but with her children in mind. She has a couch which converts to a sleeper bed that pulls out to touch her bed. She says it will be an adventure when they visit and she may move them to Washington eventually. Porter says, "I think my children ground me, I think they remind me why I'm here, what I'm fighting for." Flipping the district Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter cheers during election night event on Nov. 6, 2018, in Tustin, Calif. Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter cheers during election night event on Nov. 6, 2018, in Tustin, Calif. The election of Porter shocked many. Traditionally conservative and Republican, Orange County, California, voters had elected Republican Mimi Walters twice to represent them in the House. In 2016, Walters won by 17 percentage points. But during the campaign, Porter linked Walters to President Trump, who didn't receive the majority of votes from the 45th district. It was a [143]close race, with Porter winning by less than five percent of the vote. So close, that no winner was certified on election night or in the following weeks, and Porter says she missed out on some of the freshmen House member activities until the race was officially called. Porter says she raised UCI's voting record from two percent of the potential vote in midterm elections to 30 percent participation last year. "They focused a lot on UC Irvine," says Brooke Staggs, who covers Porter for the Orange County Register. "They had an office setup there." Andre Mouchard, Political Editor at the Orange County Register, points to the precincts near UCI which had about 200 voters in the 2016 election. Two years later in the Porter race, "you see like 1400-1500 votes," notes Mouchard. "And of those,1350 went for Porter." Carolyn Presutti Written By [144]Carolyn Presutti (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) [145]Twitter [146]Instagram [147]Facebook [148]YouTube [149]RSS Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search * [150]United States [151]US Politics + [152]Immigration + [153]All About America + [154]Silicon Valley and Technology * World News [155]Africa + [156]The Americas + [157]East Asia Pacific + [158]Europe + [159]Middle East + [160]South & Central Asia * Sections [161]Arts & Culture + [162]Day in Photos + [163]Economy & Business + [164]Extremism Watch + [165]Press Freedom + [166]Science & Health + [167]VOA StudentU + [168]VOA Connect * Voice of America [169]About VOA + [170]Contact VOA + [171]Terms of Use and Privacy Notice + [172]Get Our Mobile App + [173]Usage Requests + [174]VOA Around the World + [175]VOA Pronunciation Guide + [176]Media Relations + [177]Listen on the radio + [178]Satellite Schedule + [179]Subscribe to Our Newsletters References Visible links 1. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P 2. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXX8Damia/L19071170-8887TMP.html#main-content 3. file://localhost/watch/schedule 4. file://localhost/watch/programs 5. file://localhost/listen/schedule 6. file://localhost/listen/programs 7. file://localhost/usa 8. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 9. file://localhost/usa/immigration 10. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 11. file://localhost/science-health 12. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 13. file://localhost/africa 14. file://localhost/americas 15. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 16. file://localhost/europe 17. file://localhost/extremism-watch 18. file://localhost/middle-east 19. file://localhost/south-central-asia 20. file://localhost/middle-east/voa-news-iran 21. file://localhost/arts-culture 22. file://localhost/day-photos 23. file://localhost/economy-business 24. file://localhost/press-freedom 25. file://localhost/plugged-greta-van-susteren 26. file://localhost/student-union 27. file://localhost/voa-connect 28. file://localhost/usa 29. file://localhost/press-freedom 30. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 31. file://localhost/student-union 32. file://localhost/ 33. file://localhost/watch 34. file://localhost/watch/schedule 35. file://localhost/watch/programs 36. file://localhost/listen 37. file://localhost/listen/schedule 38. file://localhost/listen/programs 39. https://voanews.com/ 40. https://voanews.com/ 41. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 42. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 43. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 44. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 45. https://ba.voanews.com/ 46. https://ba.voanews.com/ 47. https://gr.voanews.com/ 48. https://gr.voanews.com/ 49. https://mk.voanews.com/ 50. https://mk.voanews.com/ 51. https://glasamerike.net/ 52. https://glasamerike.net/ 53. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 54. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 55. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 56. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 57. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 58. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 59. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 60. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 61. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 62. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 63. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 64. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 65. https://voabangla.com/ 66. https://voabangla.com/ 67. https://darivoa.com/ 68. https://darivoa.com/ 69. https://pashtovoa.com/ 70. https://pashtovoa.com/ 71. https://voadeewanews.com/ 72. https://voadeewanews.com/ 73. https://urduvoa.com/ 74. https://urduvoa.com/ 75. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 76. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 77. https://voacantonese.com/ 78. https://voacantonese.com/ 79. https://voachinese.com/ 80. https://voachinese.com/ 81. https://voaindonesia.com/ 82. https://voaindonesia.com/ 83. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 84. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 85. https://voacambodia.com/ 86. https://voacambodia.com/ 87. https://voakorea.com/ 88. https://voakorea.com/ 89. https://lao.voanews.com/ 90. https://lao.voanews.com/ 91. https://voathai.com/ 92. https://voathai.com/ 93. https://voatibetan.com/ 94. https://voatibetan.com/ 95. https://voatiengviet.com/ 96. https://voatiengviet.com/ 97. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 98. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 99. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 100. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 101. https://voabambara.com/ 102. https://voabambara.com/ 103. https://voaafrique.com/ 104. https://voaafrique.com/ 105. https://voahausa.com/ 106. https://voahausa.com/ 107. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 108. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 109. https://voandebele.com/ 110. https://voandebele.com/ 111. https://voaportugues.com/ 112. https://voaportugues.com/ 113. https://voashona.com/ 114. https://voashona.com/ 115. https://voasomali.com/ 116. https://voasomali.com/ 117. https://voaswahili.com/ 118. https://voaswahili.com/ 119. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 120. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 121. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 122. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 123. https://ir.voanews.com/ 124. https://ir.voanews.com/ 125. https://dengiamerika.com/ 126. https://dengiamerika.com/ 127. https://dengeamerika.com/ 128. https://dengeamerika.com/ 129. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 130. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 131. https://voanouvel.com/ 132. https://voanouvel.com/ 133. https://voanoticias.com/ 134. https://voanoticias.com/ 135. file://localhost/usa 136. https://www.cui.edu/en-us 137. https://uci.edu/ 138. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXX8Damia/L19071170-8887TMP.html 139. https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement 140. https://financialservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=402343#Wbcast03222017 141. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXX8Damia/L19071170-8887TMP.html 142. https://financialservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=403654#Wbcast03222017 143. https://ballotpedia.org/California%27s_45th_Congressional_District_election,_2018 144. file://localhost/author/carolyn-presutti 145. https://twitter.com/voanews 146. https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ 147. https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica 148. https://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo 149. file://localhost/rssfeeds 150. file://localhost/usa 151. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 152. file://localhost/usa/immigration 153. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 154. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 155. file://localhost/africa 156. file://localhost/americas 157. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 158. file://localhost/europe 159. file://localhost/middle-east 160. file://localhost/south-central-asia 161. file://localhost/arts-culture 162. file://localhost/day-photos 163. file://localhost/economy-business 164. file://localhost/extremism-watch 165. file://localhost/press-freedom 166. file://localhost/science-health 167. file://localhost/student-union 168. file://localhost/voa-connect 169. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5831.html 170. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5621.html 171. https://www.voanews.com/terms-use-and-privacy-notice 172. file://localhost/voas-free-app-mobile-and-tablet-devices 173. http://www.insidevoa.com/p/5719.html 174. https://www.voanews.com/voa-around-world 175. http://pronounce.voanews.com/ 176. http://www.insidevoa.com/ 177. file://localhost/voa-broadcast-frequency-schedules 178. http://direct.voa24.news/english/portal/broadcast-schedule 179. file://localhost/subscribe Hidden links: 180. file://localhost/s3/files/styles/sourced/s3/2019-09/RTS24VVU.jpg?itok=eyL8DCFQ 181. file://localhost/s3/files/styles/sourced/s3/2019-09/AP_18311189137291.jpg?itok=JEuySaxF .