Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff gained the California U.S. Senate seat lengthy held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday after a lopsided, low-key contest.
The Los Angeles-area congressman, who rose to nationwide prominence because the lead prosecutor in then-President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, defeated Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey, who had tried to parlay his sports activities superstar right into a political upset.
In a 12 months when management of the Senate is in play, Democrats had been favored to simply maintain the seat within the liberal-leaning state the place a Republican candidate hasn’t gained a Senate race since 1988, when President Ronald Reagan was within the White Home. Schiff held an edge for months in marketing campaign financing and polling over Garvey.
Nonetheless, the marketing campaign represents a turning level in California politics, which was lengthy dominated by Feinstein, former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Gov. Jerry Brown and a handful of different veteran Democratic politicians. The outcome additionally implies that California is not going to have a girl representing it within the Senate for the primary time in additional than three many years.
Talking to supporters, Schiff promised to work within the Senate for secure neighborhoods and higher faculties and to cut back the menace of local weather change. California is dealing with struggles, he mentioned, however “collectively, there isn’t a problem we can not overcome.”
Garvey, in a concession speech, mentioned his marketing campaign succeeded in bringing consideration to issues from rising crime to runaway spending on homelessness that has seen scant outcomes. “We took a stand on what impacted California,” Garvey mentioned.
RELATED | GOP flips not less than 2 seats held by Democrats, will maintain Senate majority in 2025
Schiff formed his marketing campaign round nationwide points together with abortion rights whereas persevering with to play a foil to Trump, calling the previous president a risk to democracy. He additionally contrasted his years of expertise in Congress — Schiff was first elected to the Home in 2000 — in opposition to Garvey, a first-time candidate who positioned himself as an outsider with recent perspective to take care of California’s long-running homeless disaster, inflation and housing prices.
Garvey, a former MVP and perennial All-Star who performed for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, known as himself a “conservative average” who shouldn’t be buttonholed into standard political labels, an apparent pitch to unbiased and comfortable Democratic voters in a state the place registered Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats practically 2-to-1.
The race was largely ignored in a 12 months when management of the Senate will activate a handful of aggressive races, together with in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Montana.
The Republican Occasion has struggled within the nation’s most populous state for years, although it retains pockets of energy in rural areas, the Central Valley farm belt and components of Southern California.
Democrats maintain each statewide workplace and dominate the Legislature and congressional delegation by commanding margins. Republicans haven’t gained a statewide race within the state since 2006.
Garvey aimed a closing promoting push at Latinos, who make up a couple of quarter of doubtless voters in California.
Feinstein, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992, died at 90 in September 2023. Laphonza Butler, a Democratic insider and former labor chief, was appointed to the seat following Feinstein’s dying and determined to not search a full time period this 12 months.
