"Obviously, I wish I had chosen a different word," Porter said Tuesday on the podcast "Pod Save America."
"Because what happened with the controversy was it took away from two really important truths: One, our California election officials do a terrific job. I have been through competitive, close elections where it has taken days to count," she continued. "So I have tremendous respect for them. So ... want to really make clear that at no time and in no way would I ever suggest that there's anything other than a careful, thoughtful, amazing election system that actually should be the model for a lot of the country, in my opinion. The second truth that is really important that got lost in all of that is that big money does influence our elections. Outcomes are manipulated and distorted when you have people coming in, spending millions and millions of dollars at the last minute, and that money is not disclosed until after the election."
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Porter said she's proud of the race she ran against fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who now faces a runoff against Republican Steve Garvey for the seat previously held by the late Dianne Feinstein.
Porter became a social media celebrity by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings to dissect CEOs and break down complex figures into assaults on corporate greed, a signature image that propelled the Democrat's U.S. Senate candidacy.
Known as a small-dollar fundraiser and a self-styled guardian of the middle class, Porter was the first major candidate to enter the race in January 2023. At the time, she promised to be a "warrior" in Washington who would take on big banks, Wall Street and the pharmaceutical industry.
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As for her future, political watchers in California say Porter could end up somewhere in the Biden administration, on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's staff or perhaps be a candidate for another statewide office in 2026 - the race for governor is wide open. She was a consumer protection attorney before her election to the House, and her knack for wringing common-sense answers from questions that become clouded by political haze remains a marketable skill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.