OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
California Reps. Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff are both vying for the late Dianne Feinstein’s long-held Senate seat in a race that Schiff has been leading in most polls, but that appears to have changed.
Lee — “once considered an underdog—edged past Adam Schiff in a delegate vote for the upcoming California Senate race,” garnering 41 percent of the votes compared to 40 percent for Schiff.
“Lee’s rise has turned heads—giving her a second wind in what is essentially a three-way race between Lee, Schiff, and Katie Porter. Porter (Orange County) who is polling neck-and-neck with Schiff, left the convention with only 16% of the delegate vote,” the outlet continued.
In a statement, Lee said: “I am incredibly proud and honored to receive the support of so many hard-working Democratic Party delegates. Our momentum is picking up speed, and tonight’s vote is evidence that our movement is touching people across the Golden State. The people want a tried-and-tested progressive with the record to prove it. I’m ready to deliver.”
During the convention, all three candidates vowed to address immigration reform, climate change, the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, and inflation.
Meanwhile, Schiff’s campaign has taken other hits recently as well.
He is under fire 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.
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.
“In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, Schiff refinanced his mortgage and consistently indicated the Maryland property as his primary residence. Los Angeles County deed records for Schiff’s Burbank condo, purchased in 2009 for $298,000, raise eyebrows as they were notarized in Maryland. The records feature alterations that replaced ‘California’ and ‘Los Angeles’ with ‘Maryland’ and ‘Montgomery County,’ listing Schiff’s Maryland address as the return address. This inconsistency further fuels doubts about his true primary residence,” the outlet added.
In an interview with CNN, Schiff’s campaign spokesperson Marisol Samayoa insisted that the candidate’s primary residence is in Burbank, despite an increasing body of evidence indicating otherwise. Schiff resides in Maryland.
Samayoa emphasized that Schiff and his wife had moved to the Washington, DC, area to spend more time with their children while he performed his congressional duties, citing several news mentions as well as his book.
Samayoa further claimed that Schiff claimed that both of his Maryland and California addresses are year-round residences and listed them as primary residences for loan purposes to differentiate them from vacation properties.
Nevertheless, Schiff’s biography on the campaign website from 2010 to 2014, which stated he was raising his family in Burbank, omits any reference to his residence in Maryland.
