Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey Progress to General Election for California Senate Seat
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Overview
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff and Republican candidate Steve Garvey have emerged victorious from California’s open Senate seat primary, as projected by renowned sources. This outcome sets the stage for a challenging endeavor for the Republican Party in the state.
Key Details
In the primary, Schiff and Garvey competed in two Senate contests: firstly, to complete the late Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s term, and secondly, for a full six-year term starting in January 2025.
Democrat Laphonza Butler, the incumbent senator who took office after Feinstein’s passing, earlier announced her decision to not pursue a full term.
California employs an open primary system where all candidates, regardless of party, run on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election. With Democrats substantially outnumbering Republicans in the state, the November general election is anticipated to result in a Democratic victory.
Steve Garvey managed to secure a place on the general election ballot by defeating two Democratic congresswomen, despite a significantly smaller campaign budget and absence of TV ads.
During the campaign’s final weeks, Schiff and his supporters spent millions on ads criticizing Garvey as being “too conservative” for California, a tactic aimed at driving Republican turnout. Garvey, on the other hand, raised a meager sum of $2.1 million by mid-February compared to Schiff’s $31 million and did not spend any money on TV advertisements.
Notably, some progressives contended that Schiff’s strategy, by encouraging more Republicans to vote, might inadvertently contribute to increased GOP participation in down-ballot contests. Representative Katie Porter denounced the ad campaigns as “brazenly cynical” and accused Schiff of misrepresenting Garvey’s conservative stance. Garvey, a former baseball player, has previously voted for Donald Trump but remains open to supporting President Joe Biden in 2024.
Porter, strategically combatting not only Schiff but also another Republican candidate, businessman Eric Early, heralded Early as the true pro-Trump contender through digital ads and during the final Senate debate. This move was perceived as an attempt to divide the Republican voting base.
Porter defended her attacks on Early, claiming that Schiff was deceptive about Garvey’s record while she sought to set the record straight.
In the general election, Schiff is expected to emphasize his role as one of the foremost champions against former President Trump as demonstrated through his involvement in Trump’s impeachment and subsequent investigations. Last year, Republicans removed Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee and censured him due to his involvement in investigating the former president—a development Schiff referred to as a “badge of honor.”
Garvey now faces the challenge of fundraising and clearly articulating his policy positions. Throughout the primary debates, he largely avoided detailed stances, attempting to navigate between support for Trump and distancing himself from the former president.
Schiff, Porter, and Lee officially entered the Senate race last year, whereas Garvey commenced his campaign in October.
The late Senator Feinstein, who served the California Senate for over three decades, announced her decision not to seek re-election in February. She passed away at the age of 90 in September.
