Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Republican Steve Garvey will face each other in California’s November Senate race. seeking to fill late Sen. Diane Feinstein’s Senate seat. Feinstein, D-Calif., died last September, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to serve out the remainder of her term.
Schiff and Garvey defeated progressive Democrats Katie Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and will face-off in the general election. Under California’s primary election system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. Porter and Lee will also vacate their House seats at the end of the term. The results mean that for the first time in 30 years, California will not be represented by a woman in the U.S. Senate. Either Schiff or Garvey will be the first White male U.S. senator representing California in 32 years. Democrats are favored to win the general election in the solidly blue state.
Schff said in a recent interview that if elected senator, his top priorities will be to “make the economy work for people. For millions of people, they’re working harder than ever and they’re still struggling to get by. We need to bring down the cost of housing first and foremost here in California … But the other two big existential threats are to our democracy and to our planet. And these are the issues I’ve been talking about throughout the state. The need to fight for an economy that, you know, that rewards folks who are working hard with a good quality of life and, but also save our democracy from a would-be dictator.”
Garvey, a political newcomer who played for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, hailed his performance as a “California comeback” and said at an election night celebration that “what you’re all feeling tonight is what it’s like to hit a walk-off home run … but keep in mind this is the first game of a doubleheader. So keep the evening of November 5 open.”
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