OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff may be planning to leave the House and run for the U.S. Senate, but he likely won’t be the only one vying for the seat.
A new report from Politico notes that California Democrat Rep. Katie Porter, Schiff, and others are weighing a campaign launch for longtime Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat as rumors swirl she may not run for re-election in 2024.
“Fresh off a bruising battleground reelection win, the third-term Porter is now considering a bid for what is likely to be an open Senate seat in deep-blue California as a next step, according to five Democrats familiar with her plans. Feinstein is widely expected to retire after her current term, but she isn’t making any firm moves yet ahead of what’s expected to be an official announcement within the next couple months. That may not be quick enough for what could turn into a vicious succession race among Democrats. California Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff are also among the slate of Democrats eyeing the Senate seat, which Feinstein first won in 1992,” Politico reported.
“Schiff, who first said he was eyeing the Senate after passing on a House leadership bid in November, has been making calls for weeks and said he would consider running if Feinstein does not run. Porter has now started making her own calls about a run, though she has not discussed a specific timeline entering the race,” the report added.
News: Katie Porter may launch Senate campaign before Feinstein announces her 2024 plans per five sources
Lee also planning run and Schiff’s said he’ll consider seat if DiFi retires
@sarahnferris @hollyotterbein https://t.co/kYcdPyDdRS
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 6, 2023
Katie Porter or Adam Schiff deserve this senate seat!
Katie Porter weighs Senate bid launch as Feinstein stays mum https://t.co/uuJwIxKEHR via @politico
— Stuart (@stuhunter1) January 6, 2023
During an appearance last month on KTTA’s “The Issue Is,” host Elex Michaelson asked Schiff about campaigning for a spot in the U.S. Senate, Breitbart News reported.
“It is widely expected that California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is 89, will retire at the end of her term. You have expressed interest in that job. Is there any reason you would not run for Senate?” the host asked.
“Well, I’m not usually asked the question in that form. You know, look, I am getting a lot of encouragement to run for the Senate from people in California and colleagues here in Congress. If Senator Feinstein retires, then I will give it very serious consideration. You know, at this point, I think we’re waiting to see what Senator Feinstein has to say about her plans, but yes, it is something I’m giving serious consideration to,” Schiff responded.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is vowing to remove Schiff from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“Another change you’re going to get, Adam Schiff will no longer be on the Intel Committee when I become speaker. I promised that more than two years ago,” McCarthy said during an interview on Fox News.
“[Democrats] also used the intel community as well to lie to the American public. Should those people keep their clearances? Should those people still be allowed to have information? If they’re going to be political individuals, then, no, they should not. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we need to investigate going forward,” he added.
Late last month, McCarthy promised to also remove Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Ilhan Omar from congressional committees for past conduct.
During an interview on Fox News with host Maria Bartiromo, McCarthy spoke about Republicans winning back control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections. McCarthy, who appears poised to be nominated as the speaker, said he will honor his promise to boot the three controversial Democrats.
“Congressman, let me ask you about your decisions should you become the speaker of the House in January. What are you going to do in terms of these Democrats that you have on such important committees? You’ve talked in the past about removing I’ll hand to or mar, about Ilhan Omar, you’ve talked about removing Adam Schiff, about Eric Swalwell. Will you deliver?” Bartiromo asked McCarthy.
“Yes, I will. I’ll keep that promise. And one thing I’ve said from the very beginning, Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance in the secrets of America? So I will not allow him to be on Intel. You have Adam Schiff who had lied to the American public time and again. We will not allow him to be on the Intel Committee either. Look, Congresswoman Omar, her anti-Semitic comments that have gone forward, we’re not going to allow her to be on Foreign Affairs. But we’re also going to stand up to what’s happening not just in the halls of Congress, but what’s happening to our higher education institutions, the anti-Semitism that’s going on on these campuses and others. We’ll investigate that as well and stop this to make sure that America does have the freedoms that we said we would keep and we would stand up to it as we move forward,” McCarthy declared.
McCarthy said he planned to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over several past “antisemitic” remarks.
