As a Consumer Protection Attorney, Katie Porter has spent nearly twenty years fighting powerful interests and Wall Street banks on behalf of consumers and families. She’s a national leader in consumer protection and has won big victories against financial institutions who cheat consumers.

Before the housing bubble burst, Katie was one of the first to sound the alarm about Wall Street’s predatory practices targeting homeowners, winning recognition from the New York Times and many others.

In 2012, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris appointed Katie to be California’s watchdog against the banks. The banks had promised to pay billions to homeowners they cheated, and Harris appointed Katie to make sure the banks followed through. Katie and her team held the banks’ feet to the fire, securing billions and helping tens of thousands of families move forward with their lives.

As an advocate, Katie has sought reforms that help families get a fair shake in our economy. She has been a key player in the fight against abusive credit card fees and, in 2010, helped pass important federal credit card protections for families. Katie has collaborated extensively with Elizabeth Warren, her former law school professor, in efforts to stop powerful financial institutions from ripping off consumers. She has written three books that document how Washington special interests skew our laws and cut off the legal rights of families who play by the rules.

Katie’s greatest joy is being a mom to her three children. They live in Irvine, where she is a long-time Cubmaster in her sons’ cub scout pack. Katie is a tenured Professor of Law at University of California Irvine and teaches consumer law.

As a Consumer Protection Attorney, I know what it means to fight. I’ve spent nearly twenty years taking on Wall Street banks and powerful financial institutions who cheat middle-class families. Now, I’m running for Congress to hold Donald Trump and the powerful special interests in Washington accountable on behalf of Orange County families.

Much of my work as a consumer advocate has centered around the housing crisis that rocked Orange County and many other parts of the country. Before the crisis, I was one of the first to sound the alarm about how the biggest Wall Street banks were preying on homeowners. And when the crisis hit, I was appointed by Attorney General Kamala Harris to work directly with California families who were cheated by the five biggest Wall Street banks.

The five banks had promised to help homeowners who had been harmed, and it was my job to hold the banks’ feet to the fire. My team won thousands of victories against the banks, forcing them to pay billions to families. And our work helped tens of thousands of families move forward with their lives.

But for so many families across the country, the harm had already been done. Politicians in Washington bailed out the banks in a matter of days, but middle-class families waited years for help from Washington — help that never came.

Eight years after the crash, Orange County families still find themselves stuck. Profits again are surging for financial institutions and Wall Street, but middle-class wages are stagnant. And the cost of things that matter most for families — affording preschool, sending your kid to college, saving for retirement — are skyrocketing, while the high cost of housing in Orange County is pushing families to the brink.

California families have a deep desire to move up the economic ladder and provide financial security for their loved ones. But too often, families who play by the rules still find themselves at the mercy of a system that favors powerful special interests who can buy influence in Washington.

Now, Donald Trump and Congresswoman Mimi Walters are making that reality worse. Time and again, Walters has sided with Trump and Washington special interests at our families’ expense.

Congresswoman Mimi Walters led the fight to pass Donald Trump's tax bill that slashes Medicare and raises taxes on middle-class families while cutting taxes for wealthy corporations. Walters voted for and enthusiastically supported Donald Trump’s health care plan that would have eliminated health coverage for 24 million Americans. She repeatedly voted with Wall Street banks to repeal key consumer protections, and she sided with Trump and Big Oil companies to roll back clean air rules and environmental standards. In fact, Walters has voted with Trump 98% of the time.

We need leaders in Congress who will stand up to Donald Trump. I’m running to continue the work I’ve always done – to take on the powerful special interests on behalf of our families. I hope you will join me!