California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are endorsing state Attorney General Kamala Harris in the race to fill Boxer’s seat.
{mosads}The two Democrats in deep-blue California are taking sides against a fellow Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Loretta Sanchez.
Boxer said that while she wanted to stay neutral in the race between her two friends, she planned to endorse if “one candidate emerges as the progressive choice.”
“California deserves a continuation of clear progressive leadership in the U.S. Senate,” Boxer said in a statement released by the Harris campaign.
“For almost 50 years, the seat that I hold has been a leadership seat on human rights, women’s rights, civil rights, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, fair trade, a clean environment and a voice for all families — no matter their circumstances. Kamala Harris shares those values with me.”
In her statement, Feinstein praised Harris’s work as a prosecutor and attorney general, framing her as a “consistent voice of unity and optimism.”
The endorsements come the morning after Harris and Sanchez battled on the debate stage Wednesday night. The two both advanced through a jungle primary earlier this year, where the top two candidates move onto a general election regardless of party.
Boxer’s decision to retire at the end of 2016 sent off a mad scramble for the seat, but Harris emerged to nearly clear the field. Sanchez has put up an aggressive challenge but has lagged behind Harris both in fundraising and in the polls.