Adam Schiff wants a 2-man Senate race

Feb 01, 2024

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Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, Steve Garvey participate in the first California Senate debate at Bovard Auditorium.

(Left to right) Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Steve Garvey participate in the first California Senate debate at Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, on Jan. 22, 2024. | Jenna Schoenefeld for POLITICO

Never mind the polls, Rep. Adam Schiff has identified his main opponent in the Senate race — and it’s not Rep. Katie Porter.

Schiff came out swinging today with a new ad that targets Steve Garvey, who is the only leading Republican in the race but has little chance of making it to Washington.

Schiff’s bankshot to box out Porter (yes, we’re mixing baseball and basketball terms here, so deal with it) makes strategic sense but you won’t hear that from Schiff. Then again, you don’t need to because Porter is more than happy to make the point.

“Adam Schiff knows he will lose to me in November,” she wrote on X. “That’s what this brazenly cynical ad is about — furthering his own political career, boxing out qualified Democratic women candidates, and boosting a Republican candidate to do it.”

The tactic of boosting a preferred candidate has been employed by Republicans and Democrats for years. Porter should know; she’s done it herself.

Porter ran a contrast ad against Republican former Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange County before the 2018 primary where she faced Democratic challengers — though the dynamics are not exactly the same since Walters was a two-term incumbent.

In a purple state Senate race, Porter could more reasonably argue that Schiff was putting democracy at stake by making it that much more possible for a Republican who would vote in lockstep with the party to advance in March, and possibly even win in November.

But California is not a purple state, so Porter took a different approach — that Schiff was trying to deprive Californians of the woman who, according to the polls at least, is his nearest competitor.

The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Sen. Barbara Boxer served from 1992 until 2023 and 2016, respectively. Now, with Sen. Alex Padilla in Washington, Schiff’s aggressive move to keep Porter out of the runoff would mean the state’s two highest federal offices would be held by men, and more specifically, Padilla and Schiff.

Porter’s focus on gender comes as she tries to highlight other contrasts that go beyond ideology.

At the Jan. 22 debate, sponsored by POLITICO, she referenced how she was the youngest candidate on stage along with Schiff, Garvey and fellow Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee.

And she repeatedly returned to her central thesis that the other Democrats can’t change Washington because they are creatures of the system.

She has a chance to keep doing that in ads of her own — while Schiff makes a case to Republicans for Garvey.

IT’S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to ccadelago@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

IF YOU RECALL: The halting effort to overhaul California’s recall system got a jolt of momentum today as the Senate advanced a constitutional amendment. Senate Democrats — and Republican Sen. Scott Wilk — voted 31-7 to pass a measure from Sen. Josh Newman that would shift how voters oust and replace statewide officials.

The push grew out of frustration with the failed 2021 vote to boot Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I think our experience with the last gubernatorial recall points to the fact that this is needed,” Newman — who was recalled in 2018 and then reclaimed his seat — said in a floor speech. Senate Constitutional Amendment 1 would discard the current format, in which voters both cast a yes-or-no recall vote and choose a successor on the same ballot. Instead, voters would just vote on the recall and then, if it succeeds, vote on a replacement in a later election. If the governor is recalled, the lieutenant governor would take over in the interim.

If the Assembly passes SCA-1 by a two-thirds margin it would go on the November ballot — and it would have company. There are already four constitutional amendments going before voters. — Jeremy B. White

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ON THE BEATS

Three mental health advocates protest against Proposition 1 in Sacramento.

Carol Patterson, Katy Sommerfeld and Natalie Conrad were part of small rally against Proposition 1 at the state capitol. | Rachel Bluth

SIGNS OF STRUGGLE: You didn’t have to look further today than the west steps of the Capitol to see that opponents of Proposition 1 are facing an uphill fight.

The handful of demonstrators against the sweeping mental health measure on the March ballot were almost outnumbered by reporters. They were even outnumbered by participants in a nearby demonstration by California secessionists.

This was on a week when Newsom trotted out the mayors of seven California cities along with a slick TV ad to promote Proposition 1, which would overhaul the way the state funds mental health services and authorize a nearly $6.4 billion bond. A recent poll showed the measure has the support of 70 percent of voters and the campaign has a $14 million war chest.

Still, it has opponents like those gathered outside the Capitol. The No on Prop 1 people are concerned that the measure would divert funding for existing mental health treatment programs to expand housing. They also fear that people will be forced into treatment to get them off the streets. — Rachel Bluth

REPARATIONS BILLS: One state senator kicked Black History Month off today by asking the state to make about a $1.5 billion down payment on reparations, despite a budget deficit.

State Sen. Steven Bradford, who served on the state’s reparations task force, said lawmakers need to make a financial commitment — even if funding is deferred because of the deficit — to show they are serious about addressing the issue.

“If we say we value reparations and want to heal the harms of slavery in this country and in this state, we have to make this a priority now,” Bradford said while introducing a series of bills designed to provide property tax relief and other restitution to the descendants of slaves and families that experienced racist displacement. — Sarah Grace Taylor

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Hundreds of thousands of working Californians use or have used Earned Wage Access to cover unexpected expenses or stay up-to-date on their bills without resorting to high-interest loans. Earned Wage Access has no impact on credit, no mandatory fees, and keeps people out of debt. In fact, Earned Wage Access helps diverse, everyday Californians maintain financial flexibility, reach financial stability, and build financial momentum for themselves and their families.

Governor Newsom’s DFPI is set to enact rules to make it harder for working Californians to use earned wage access products, pushing them towards risky, more expensive, and far less forgiving options. California can’t afford to go backwards.

Governor Newsom: Don’t leave Californians in the lurch. Protect people’s right to choose the financial options that work for them, on their own terms. Protect Earned Wage Access.

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WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY

FAMILY DYNAMICS: U.S. Senate candidate and former Dodger Steve Garvey has a messy backstory that conflicts with his clean-cut image. (Los Angeles Times)

JUST VISITING: A San Francisco supervisor wants to track addresses of people who are arrested for drugs or die from overdoses to see if there’s any basis to the perception that people come to the city for “drug tourism." (San Francisco Chronicle)

LABOR PAINS: More Hollywood union trouble could be brewing: Contract talks are getting tense between two powerful unions, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Teamsters Local 399, and the industry’s collective bargaining representative. (Deadline)

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