OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Democratic candidates Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican candidate Steve Garvey won in California’s U.S. Senate race in March and are now set to compete in the November general election. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) were defeated by Garvey’s outsider campaign.
After leading the polls leading up to the primary on Tuesday, Schiff emerged as the clear winner. However, he is facing a tough election, as Garvey is not slowing down, according to the California Globe.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate seat until November, following the death of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in September of last year. The winner of a special election in November will serve the remaining two months of Feinstein’s term. California voters will also select the person to serve the office’s successor for the next six years in a separate ballot item.
In a unique situation, voters will have the option of selecting one candidate to serve a two-month term in the special election and another candidate to run for a full six-year term in the regularly scheduled election.
The California U.S. Senate race was already among the most costly in the state’s history going into Super Tuesday. Schiff and Garvey have both been raising money since then.
“Schiff has far out-raised his opponents in the race. Federal Election Commission filings reveal that as of the end of March, the Democrat had raised close to $35 million in campaign contributions, while Garvey has raised about $5.5 million,” according to USA Today.
Steve Garvey, the Republican candidate for the open California U.S. Senate seat, expressed his desire to revive the “heartbeat” of the once-great state. Garvey, who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series in 1981, entered the race as a Republican because he believes many of California’s politicians only want to represent half of the state.
Garvey has been actively campaigning to connect with voters across the state, stating, “We’ve been actively, over the first probably four months after making that decision, talking to significant people that I trust in the world of politics and then going around California, talking to the people in the north, coastal and central California, and also down south where we are.”
Meanwhile, there have been controversies surrounding Schiff. He has been criticized over claims that he has been claiming two primary residences in Maryland and California for more than ten years while taking advantage of homeowner tax breaks. 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.
