Schiff wins California Senate race

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is projected to win his bid for the Senate in California, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Schiff, who emerged as one of former President Trump’s chief critics in the House and led Trump’s first impeachment, bested retired baseball great Steve Garvey, a Republican, in Tuesday’s general election. He will fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). 

Schiff’s fellow Democratic Reps. Katie Porter (Calif.) and Barbara Lee (Calif.) both vied for the rare open Senate seat, but they were knocked out of the running when Schiff and Garvey advanced out of California’s nonpartisan primary earlier this year. 

Schiff’s allies worked to elevate Garvey, who openly voted twice for Trump, ahead of the primary in the hopes that a red-blue match-up in the general election would be easier to win than a battle between Democrats in the blue stronghold. That theory appeared to pay off, as the polls showed Schiff with a double-digit lead over Garvey in the weeks before Election Day.

The Senate seat is being filled temporarily by appointee Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who opted not to run for a full term. 

Schiff was also on Tuesday’s ballot for a partial term in the Senate, to briefly take over for Butler between November and the start of the next full term in January.