California Democrat Adam Schiff wins Dianne Feinstein’s former Senate seat | US elections 2024

Democrat Adam Schiff, the California congressman who led the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump, has won his campaign for the U.S. Senate, a powerful position he is expected to hold for decades.

In a state where Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans, Schiff cruised to victory ahead of his opponent, Republican Steve Garvey, a former Major League Baseball player with no political experience who had dodged questions about whether or not he would vote for Trump.

In this year’s March primary, Schiff had already defeated two progressive Democratic challengers: Congresswomen Barbara Lee, who represented Oakland, and Katie Porter, who represented a swing district in right-wing Orange County.

Schiff came first in the primaries as a Democrat who had pledged “unequivocal support” for Israel and rejected calls for a ceasefire. Protesters shout “Let Gaza live!” and “Ceasefire now!” interrupted Schiff’s victory speech before the March primaries.

Schiff will fill the Senate seat that Dianne Feinstein held for 31 years until her death at age 90. Serving as a Democratic senator from California is not officially a lifetime appointment, but in practice, incumbents often serve for decades, making the role particularly important. powerful nationally and within the Democratic party.

In some ways, Schiff, a powerful campaign fundraiser, has already stepped into that leadership role. While Garvey made a last-minute effort to appeal to Latino voters with Spanish-language TV ads in the weeks before the election, Schiff was confident enough in his Senate victory that he spent time campaigning with Democratic congressional candidates in the statewide, as well as stumping for Democrats in states like Ohio and Florida.

Like Feinstein, Schiff is a more centrist Democrat, whose attempt to brand himself as progressive during the primaries was rejected by the Congressional Progressive caucus. His Senate campaign platform included support for abolishing the filibuster and the Electoral College, as well as expanding the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.

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