Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) carried out a bold primary campaign plan on Super Tuesday. The idea was to boost Republican rival Steve Garvey and leave a stronger Democratic candidate in place, allowing both men to qualify for the general election.
Under California’s “jungle” primary system, the top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election. Mr. Schiff faces a tougher challenge from one of the female Democrats in the race, such as Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). It might have been. But when Mr. Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, entered the race as a Republican, he became the perfect foil for Mr. Schiff to make the November campaign easier.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – News cameras focus on Dodgers legend Steve Garvey during a visit to the Downtown Center Business Improvement District offices in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 11, 2024. Garvey is campaigning to represent California in the U.S. Senate. The position was previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. (Photographer}/Los Angeles Times)
Democrats enjoy a huge registration advantage in the state (nearly 47% support Democrats, just 24% support Republicans), and Republicans have held on for about 15 years when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor. He has been barred from statewide office ever since.
Schiff ran ads denouncing Garvey’s conservative views on major media markets and social media platforms. This accomplished his two objectives. One is that it established Schiff as the party’s standard-bearer, and it also excited conservatives about Garvey.
It was, in many ways, a dirty, deceitful campaign. For example, in one Facebook ad, Schiff borrowed a headline from Fox News but claimed it was from Breitbart.com, a more conservative brand. The ad linked to another Breitbart article.
Mr. Schiff and Mr. Garvey are vying for a special election to end the unfinished six-year term of late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and to begin a new six-year term starting in January. There will be two regular elections to contest. As of Tuesday night, before all mail-in and mail-in ballots were counted, Schiff had won 33.8% and Garvey 31.1% in the special election, while Schiff had won 36.6% and Garvey 29.3% in the regular election. did. Porter was a distant third in both races.
As FlashReport.org editor Jon Fleischman explains: Breitbart News Sunday A bit of good news for Republicans on SiriusXM Patriot 125 is that Garvey’s presence on the ticket could help House candidates in down-ticket races.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of a new biography, Rhoda: “Comrade Cadderly, you are abnormal.”. He is also the author of a recently published e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
