(CN) — Longtime Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player and political novice, will advance to the November general election in the race to replace Diane Feinstein as U.S. Senator.
With more than half of the expected votes counted as of 11:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Schiff was narrowly in first place, with about 33% of the vote, and Garvey just behind with a bit more than 32%. The result would mean that for the first time in decades, California will not have a female senator.
The early results in California's Senate primary reflect only the first tranche of ballots, cast by people who voted early. The candidates who finish first and second will face off against each other in the November general election.
More than 30 candidates appeared on ballots to serve as California's newest U.S. Senator, including three Democratic Congress members: Schiff; Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, who were well behind Schiff.
Schiff made a name for himself as the lead prosecutor during former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, and has generally served as a foil to Trump, who has ridiculed the congressman, dubbing him, "Shifty Schiff," which only seemed to boost Schiff's popularity amongst Democrats.
Porter, who has served in the House of Representatives for just four years, gained a following, in part, from interrogating pharmaceutical executives and CEOs while holding a small whiteboard, video clips of which have gone viral. Lee, a Black woman, has served in the House since 1998, and is known for her progressive foreign policy stances — opposing the 2002 war in Iraq, for example, and voting against sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
Republican Steve Garvey, meanwhile, has never held public office, held few political events during the primary, ran no television ads and has been vague on his positions. He refused to say whether or not he plans on voting for Donald Trump for president, as he did in the last two presidential elections. Nevertheless, Garvey's place as the only well-known Republican in the race put him in a strong position to finish in the top two. In the general election, where Democrats will likely make up a higher share of the electorate, his task will be far more challenging.
Schiff's campaign took the controversial step of running television ads singling out Garvey as his opponent, effectively casting himself and Garvey as the general election candidates. Porter blasted the strategy as "cynical," since Garvey would be far easier for Schiff to defeat in November than she.
On Tuesday night, Schiff's victory speech was interrupted by more than a dozen protestors demanding a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza strip.
“We are so lucky to live in a democracy where people are allowed to protest," Schiff said.
Unsurprisingly, Trump and President Joe Biden looked set to win their respective primaries by enormous margins. Trump led Nikki Haley by 56 points, while Biden led his nearest challengers Marianne Williamson — who dropped out of the race last month — and Dean Phillips by about 87 points.
Elsewhere on California's ballot, voters were asked to approve Proposition 1, a $6.4 billion bond measure to build housing and mental health facilities for those struggling with homelessness, addiction and mental illnesses. With more than 40% of the expected votes counted, Yes on 1 is running ahead by three percentage points.
In Los Angeles County, where 12% of ballots had been counted as of 11:00 p.m., District Attorney George Gascon was in first place in the race for his office with 23% of the vote, while former prosecutor Nathan Hochman — who until last year was registered as a Republican — was in second with 18%.
Gascon's four-year term has been a divisive one. Elected on a platform of criminal justice reform, pledging to seek shorter prison sentences and to press charges on police officers suspected of misconduct, his broad range of reforms made him a perennial punching bag on Fox News, and gave rise to a near mutiny among his staff of prosecutors, a number of whom are running against him.
A runoff may be a steeper hill for Gascon to climb, as many of his challengers are expected to unite against him, although Hochman's status as a recent Republican may help Gascon in November.
Voters in the county were also asked to approve Measure HLA, which would shift billions of dollars toward the construction of protected bike lanes and projects designed to slow cars down, sometimes called "road diets." The early vote had Measure HLA comfortably passing at 65%-35%.
There appears to be little in the way of upsets in LA's city council races, though three incumbents look like they could be heading toward uncomfortable runoffs. Progressive council member Nithya Raman, whose district was drastically redrawn during the last redistricting process, and whose approach to homelessness has irked many in her new district, could be forced into a general election with challenger Ethan Weaver, if results hold.
Kevin de Leon, who was implicated in the now-infamous scandal involving him and two of his former colleagues making racially insensitive remarks during a private meeting, may have to face State Assemblyman Miguel Santiago in a November runoff. Finally, Heather Hutt, who was appointed by the council to replace Mark Ridley-Thomas in 2022, running for her first full term, could be heading toward a runoff with activist Grace Yoo.
And all the way down the ballot, Christopher Darden — the former prosecutor who gained infamy during the O.J. Simpson murder trial — is losing badly in his bid to become a superior court judge.
California's voter turnout is expected to be exceptionally low. Experts predicted that less than a third of 22 million registered voters in the state would cast ballots. The disinterest is being blamed largely on the lack of any competitive presidential primary, as well as only one statewide ballot measure.
Follow @hillelaron
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Sudan war marks one-year anniversary April 15, 2024 -
California certifies March 5 primary election results April 12, 2024
