Democratic Representative Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey will enter the general election in a tight race. California Senate raceNBC News projects.
That means Democratic Reps. Kathy Porter and fellow nominee Barbara Lee will be out of the general election. Progressives will also vacate their seats in the House at the end of the term.
Under California rules, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
In the final stretch of the race, the battle between Schiff and Porter, the Democrats with the most votes in the race, turned ugly. Schiff developed his national profile by running against former President Donald Trump as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Porter, a populist who flipped a formerly GOP-held district in 2018, ran on a platform of taking back corporate power and addressing working-class economic needs like child care.
Schiff, who was leading in many polls ahead of the contest, tried to thwart Porter by running ads promoting Garvey in hopes of becoming his opponent in the fall. Schiff’s Democrats are favored to win the general election in a blue state.
By facing Garvey, Schiff will avoid a contentious and expensive intra-party battle this fall. Garvey ran a scrappy campaign.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Schiff said he would have three top priorities if elected senator.
“Make the economy work for the people. For millions, they are working harder than ever and still struggling to make ends meet. We need to lower the cost of housing in California first,” Schiff said at his Burbank campaign office.
“But the other two great existential threats are to our democracy and to our planet,” he said. “And these are issues that I’ve been talking about all over the state. You know, the need to fight for an economy that rewards hard-working people with a good quality of life while also saving our democracy from a future dictator.
This fall’s winner will hold the seat held for decades by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. dead In September. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term.
On Tuesday, he released a statement as the results emerged showing him in fourth place, saying he would “allow time for every vote – every vote – to count, and I look forward to watching the results in the coming days.”
“Our campaign has always been about giving a voice to people who don’t feel heard in Washington — and I’m exceptionally proud of the grassroots, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition this campaign has built to send someone to California to fight for them and speak truth to power in the Senate,” Lee said.
The result is a self-inflicted wound for progressives who consider Porter and Lee members of the congressional caucus. But with both running, the movement refused to pool its resources behind either candidate, splitting at least the left-leaning vote between the two.
After the prediction was announced, progressive activist and Porter ally Adam Green issued a statement attacking Schiff.
“Adam Schiff put his ego over democracy by elevating Republican Steve Garvin, who will turn out Trump voters in key House races that could now determine control of Congress,” he said. “Katie Porter faces negative publicity from billionaires and special interests as Adam Schiff spends millions endorsing pro-Trump Republican”.
Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers player, used a baseball metaphor during an election night party to describe the next phase of the campaign.
“Remember, this is the first game of a doubleheader,” he said. “Therefore, let the evening of November 5 remain open.”
Catherine Koretsky contributed.