Ex-California Rep. Katie Porter — who once allegedly dumped “steaming’’ mashed potatoes on her then-hubby’s head — is now vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling herself a scrappy foe to President Trump.

In March 2020, as COVID-19 began shuttering public life, Porter successfully pressed the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the time, Dr. Robert Redfield, i