I couldn’t be more excited about my first endorsement of the year: Katie Porter is running to represent Californians in the U.S. Senate, and she has my full support.

I met Katie long before either of us imagined we’d be serving as elected officials. She was one of my law students, studying consumer law. Even then, she showed a deep-down commitment to making a difference in people’s lives.

I still remember the first day we met. My class was held early in the morning, meaning a lot of students had their heads down, trying to avoid being called on. But not Katie. She was determined and ready to go. When the first answer she gave wasn’t her strongest, she came to my office hours and said, “Please keep calling on me. I am going to learn to do this.”

Years later, in 2012, then-Attorney General of California Kamala Harris secured a settlement of $18 billion from our country’s biggest banks for their predatory lending practices that spurred the 2008 housing crisis. She asked if I knew anyone who could work as an “independent monitor” to make sure the Big Banks actually paid California families the money they were now owed. It was a massive undertaking, but I knew just the person for the job: my former student Katie Porter. She served as a watchdog over Wall Street banks and held their feet to the fire to ensure California families received the billions they were owed.

When she decided to run for Congress in 2018, I was very happy to support her. I knew that we needed more people like Katie in Washington — who understood the real experiences that working families faced, who had the courage to stand up to big corporations and special interests, and who would fight to make our government work for everyone, not just the rich and powerful. A Democrat hadn’t represented her district for decades, but she knew exactly how to personally connect with voters, build a strong movement, and win. She flipped that seat, and she’s been winning for working people ever since.

Simply put, Katie delivers. She’s smart and she isn’t afraid. She stands up to Wall Street and Big Pharma, she holds fossil fuel companies accountable, and she fights to protect our rights. She is exactly who Californians need as their next Senator, and I’m proud to endorse her.

We need her (and her whiteboard) in the Senate. And we want you on our team. She’s running a people-powered campaign just like ours. I’d be so grateful if you could split a donation between our campaigns today to support our fight for working families in the Senate.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth Warren

P.S. I just have to share this old photo of us from when I first got to know Katie. I’ve been a fan of hers for years and years, and it would be a great honor to serve alongside Katie in the Senate in the next chapter of her career.