Takeaways from California senate primary results: Schiff, Garvey win:-Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former baseball player and Republican Steve Garvey will be running against each other in November. Schiff got the most votes in the California Senate race on Super Tuesday, which made what was a nasty and highly-contested election into one that wasn’t even close.
Takeaways from California senate primary results: Schiff, Garvey win
That doesn’t mean it wasn’t strange, though. People will be able to vote twice for the same spot.
That’s because when Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in September of last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California put Laphonza Butler, who was close with Vice President Kamala Harris, in charge of the seat until November. However, there are still two months left in Feinstein’s term, so there needs to be a special poll to find someone to finish her term. Plus, people in the Golden State need to choose who will lead the state for the next full six-year term that starts in January.
Three Democratic House members—Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee, and Katie Porter—were running in both Super Tuesday races. Garvey is the only Republican.
The primary in California is called a “jungle primary,” which means that anyone, from any party, can cast a vote for any candidate.
Schiff, backed by mainstream Democrats, beats back progressives
Schiff was seen as the leader in the close race for a long time because he got the support of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., early in the primary.
He also had the support of Rep. Pete Aguilar, who is the chair of the House Democratic Caucus and the third-ranking Democrat in the House.
Schiff’s win is a big help for his campaign now that the race is moving to the general election. He became well-known while former President Donald Trump was in office by being one of the most outspoken Democrats against the former president. Schiff was in charge of Trump’s first impeachment trial as the House’s chief impeachment manager.
Schiff also had the support of most of California’s Democratic House members, unlike his Democratic opponents, who were mostly Pelosi and Aguilar.
Steve Garvey, a late entrant to the race, prevails – thanks to Schiff
Back in October of last year, when the race was mostly made up of well-known Democrats, Garvey’s late entry into the primary changed the game a lot.
Schiff can thank the former baseball star whose name was well known because he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for helping him come in second. To get rid of his Democratic opponents quickly, Schiff and his friends spent a lot of money on ads before the primary that supported Garvey.
Garvey played first base for the Dodgers and was an All-Star 10 times. He became famous in politics by raising money for ALS research. In 2000, he spoke on the Senate floor about how important it was to find a fix.
Garvey has already told USA TODAY that his campaign will be mostly about education, public safety, and improving people’s quality of life. He also said that he voted twice for Donald Trump, who was president as a Republican.
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In deep-blue California, Schiff all-but secures Senate seat
If Garvey makes it to the general election, Schiff almost certainly wins the race. Ever since Pete Wilson won re-election for a second term in 1988, no Republican has won a race for the California Senate in this liberal state.
The result will also be a huge relief for Senate Democrats, who have a very tough map this election cycle. Out of the 33 seats up for reelection, Democrats are fighting for 23 of them.
A general election between Democrats could waste important campaign resources that could be sent to states like Montana, Ohio, and Arizona that are more competitive and will have a big impact on who wins the Senate majority.
Schiff is the only surviving Democrat going into the general election. This means that Democrats have a slightly better chance of keeping the Senate majority.
California will not have a woman serving in the Senate
Schiff and Garvey made it to the general election. This means that California will not have a woman in the Senate for the first time in over 30 years, no matter who wins. Schiff is the favorite.
In 1992, both Feinstein and former Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., were elected to the Senate. That year was known as the “Year of the Woman.”
Harris took over for Boxer after she retired in 2017. As soon as Harris moved to the White House to become Biden’s vice president, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was chosen to finish Harris’ term. In 2022, he won a full six-year term.
It was one of the most expensive senate races in recent California history
It was already one of the most expensive races in California history to fill Feinstein’s spot before Super Tuesday.
By the middle of February, Schiff had raised a lot more money than his opponents.
Since February 14, Schiff has earned almost $30 million for his campaign, which is almost twice as much as the next candidate in the race. The FEC said in mid-February that Porter had raised almost $16.8 million, Lee had gotten about $4.8 million, and Garvey had gotten about $2.1 million.
The last time Feinstein ran for re-election, in 2018, she got about $11.2 million in donations, while her opponent only got $1.7 million, according to FEC records from that year.
We won’t know Butler’s replacement until November
People who want to take the seat behind Butler will have to vote again in the general election, no matter who they choose.
Because there are two different questions on the ballot, one person could take the job for two months and another for the next six years.
Even though it’s not common, there will be two general elections in November: one for a two-month term and one for a full six-year term.