OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The U.S. Senate race between California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Los Angeles Dodgers great Steve Garvey, the GOP candidate, has been called.
Schiff (D-CA) easily defeated on Tuesday to serve out the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate term, which ends in January, and, separately, to serve a new six-year Senate term. The Associated Press called the race for Schiff minutes after polls closed in the state at 11 p.m. EDT.
Schiff has served in the House for the past two decades and gained national prominence when he led the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, advocating for his removal from office. In his Senate campaign, Schiff focused on positioning himself as the foremost opponent of Trump, vowing to continue applying pressure on the Republican presidential nominee if Trump were to win a second term in the White House.
Trump, in turn, has called Schiff “the enemy from within” and a “sleazebag.”
“These are bad people,” Trump said. “We have a lot of bad people. But when you look at ‘Shifty Schiff’ and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within.”
In late October, Trump criticized Garvey during a Fox News interview, stating that his lack of political experience was the reason for his unsuccessful campaign. He also told reporters that Garvey “made a big mistake because he hasn’t reached out to MAGA, and if he doesn’t have MAGA, he’s got no chance.”
At times, Garvey appeared out of his depth on the campaign trail. He faced challenges with policy issues and opted to skip both the California Republican Party convention and the Republican National Convention. While he made a concerted effort to connect with Latino voters, it ultimately fell short in the face of Schiff’s popularity in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 2-to-1, the Washington Examiner reported.
In their first and only televised debate, Garvey characterized Schiff as a “career politician” more focused on his personal political ambitions than on assisting Californians.
“This man hasn’t done anything over the last 24 years on any of these things that have given us any consistency in life,” Garvey said, going on to point out that Schiff seemed too obsessed with his personal vendetta against Trump to care about the needs of Californians.
Schiff faced significant criticism during the primaries for aiding Garvey’s placement on the general election ballot over Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), believing that he would have a better chance of defeating Garvey.
Last fall, Schiff came under fire over allegations that he has been claiming two primary residences in Maryland and California for more than ten years while taking advantage of homeowner tax breaks.
The controversies surrounding Schiff’s residential claims may cause problems for his January 2023 announcement of a U.S. Senate run.
For years, Schiff has been the owner of a large 3,420-square-foot house in Maryland. However, he has also claimed a homeowner’s tax exemption on a much smaller condo in Burbank, California, which is 650 square feet, and has designated it as his primary residence.
The congressman saved about $70 a year in property taxes as a result of this maneuver, which saved him $7,000 in total. Schiff did not request a comparable exemption for his property in Maryland.
Tax records reveal that 2017 was the only year Schiff paid property taxes in California using a personal check bearing his Maryland address, adding fuel to the controversy, according to CNN.
One insider told The New York Post that Schiff is “rarely at his California apartment,” which is a modest one-bedroom, one-bathroom residence.
“The revelation comes as Schiff faces stiff competition in the California Senate primary against fellow Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Deed records reveal that Schiff designated his Maryland property as his primary residence in 2003 when he purchased it for $870,000,” the NY Post reported.
