California Senate race: Democrats aim to block Republican from contest to fill Feinstein’s seat
LOS ANGELES — Several prominent House Democrats are jostling to fend off Republican former baseball great Steve Garvey in the yearslong battle for the U.S. Senate seat once occupied by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, with two slots on California’s November ballot.
In a state where a Republican has not won a Senate race since 1988, Democrats are expected to easily retain the seat in November, a relief for the party trying to defend a fragile Senate majority. But Garvey, a National League MVP and former star of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, rescheduled the contest, which also features Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
California places all candidates, regardless of party, on one primary ballot, and the two who receive the most votes advance to the general election. For months, Schiff has held the fundraising and polling lead, but it’s possible Garvey could claim the second spot in the November election, ending the congressional careers of Porter and Lee, two prominent progressives.
It would be a particular blow to Porter, whose 2018 victory was one of the Democratic breakthroughs in Orange County, once a Republican stronghold.
“Opinion polls predict we will lose and my time in Congress will end forever,” Porter wrote in a fundraising plea in the final days of the election.
The potential for historically low turnout — in a year marked by a likely presidential rematch that many Americans are dreading — could help boost Garvey’s chances, as the state’s most reliable voters tend to be older, white, conservative-leaning homeowners are.
But he would still be a gamble come November. Registered Democrats have a 2-to-1 advantage over Republicans in California, and the last Republican candidate to win a statewide race was nearly two decades ago, in 2006.
Feinstein held the seat for three decades, and the campaign to fill the seat represents a new era in California politics. Even before she announced in early 2023 that she would not seek re-election, ambitious Democrats were jockeying for a shot at the coveted spot. Her death in September threatened to upend the race when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler, a longtime Democratic official, to the seat, but Butler has chosen not to run for the full term.
Schiff gained national attention as former President Donald Trump’s main antagonist during the Republican years in the White House. He was a leading voice during Trump’s two impeachments, prompting Republicans in the House of Representatives to take the extraordinary step of censuring him after gaining control of the chamber.
That only strengthened his appeal in Democratic stronghold California, making Schiff a favorite of the party establishment, with support from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, most of California’s congressional delegation and former Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer.
With that strong backing, Schiff was a fundraising powerhouse, a key advantage in a state with some of the most expensive media markets in the country.
Porter, who presents herself as a suburban soccer mom who wants to protect the middle class, has captured national attention on social media with her sharp questioning of tech CEOs during hearings on Capitol Hill.
Garvey’s candidacy, buoyed by name recognition among older voters who remember his baseball days, put an unexpected twist in the race. The dynamic between Schiff and Porter became increasingly tense in the final weeks of the campaign, as both vied for a spot in the general election.
Porter’s campaign has accused Schiff and his supporters of running ads deliberately highlighting Garvey to raise the former baseball star’s profile among Republicans, on the basis that having a Republican opponent would likely make for an easier match. are for Schiff in the fall. Schiff has defended the ads, saying Garvey attacked him in debates and interviews and that he “wouldn’t ignore him.”