Rep. Adam Schiff defeated Republican challenger and former MLB star Steve Garvey to win the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Dianne Feinstein, the Associated Press reported Tuesday night.
Mr. Garvey, who refused to seek an endorsement from former President Trump and embraced being a “conservative moderate,” appeared with supporters on election night to congratulate Mr. Schiff.
“Regardless of the results, I want you to know that when the counting is finished, we will have received the fourth-highest number of votes in the nation,” Garvey said. “This means everyone in California has a voice, and that voice is only going to get louder.
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Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (left) and Republican Steve Garvey meet during a debate on October 8, 2024. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
“Thank you so much for your support and votes. I had the opportunity to be your candidate and represent this great state on the issues and ideas we care about most: the cost of living and home repairs. It was an honor to work on the homeless crisis, make our communities safer, improve our public schools, and secure our borders,” Garvey said.
The Los Angeles-area lawmaker who rose to national prominence as the lead prosecutor in President Trump's first impeachment trial defeated a former Republican baseball star who tried to turn a sports celebrity into a career in politics. .
Schiff, who was favored to win in deep-blue California, did not immediately issue a statement.
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former garvey MLB first basemanspent a week in Israel as part of his campaign earlier this year, in solidarity with California's Jewish community and to set himself apart from his Democratic opponents during the campus riots.
Schiff focused his campaign on national issues, including abortion rights, while continuing to compliment former President Donald Trump, calling him a threat to democracy. He also brings years of experience in Congress (Schiff was first elected to the House in 2000) and a first-timer who has positioned himself as an outsider with a fresh perspective on addressing California's lingering homelessness crisis, inflation and poverty issues. He contrasted the candidate with Mr. Garvey. Housing costs.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Republican opponent Steve Garvey (Getty Images)
Feinstein, a Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992, died in September 2023 at the age of 90. LaFonza Butler, a Democratic Party insider and former labor leader, was appointed to the seat after Feinstein's death and has decided not to seek a full term this year.
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California Republicans have struggled to gain campaign momentum in recent years in the shadow of a Democratic trifecta.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
