Schiff leads tight California Senate race amid election fever

California’s political landscape is brimming with activity as the presidential primary race heats up alongside key local elections. Voters across the Golden State grapple with a range of decisions, from participating in the presidential preference primary that will allocate California’s hefty 169 delegates to choosing among local candidate races and various ballot measures. Among the most riveting statewide races is the campaign to fill the seat left by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) currently leads in the poles with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), Steve Garvey (R), and Rep. Barbara Lee (Oakland) locked in a tight competition for second place. 

According to a California Elections and Policy Poll from February, Schiff holds 25% of the likely voter support, while Porter and Garvey each claim 15%. With Garvey possessing a modest campaign purse of just over $300,000, unable to fund significant advertising, it is Schiff’s noticeably aggressive advertising, including critical Fox News spots, that is drawing attention. The Schiff campaign’s expenditure to promote Garvey as “too conservative for California,” is seen by some, including Porter, as a calculated maneuver to engineer a more favorable race in the general election, expecting that the deep blue state would ultimately rebuff any Republican contenders. “It’s a brazenly cynical move,” said Porter, criticizing Schiff’s strategy. Meanwhile, Porter, championed by progressives, has secured influential endorsements, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Attorney General Rob Bonta. 

In the wider context, California’s primary has also seen significant changes with the adjustment from June to Super Tuesday, intensifying the competition especially within the Republican Party, now adopting a winner-take-all rule for their delegate allocation. This change favors Donald Trump, leading to heightened stakes in the California primary, according to party insiders. 

Early voting options and no postage-required mail-in ballots encourage voter participation, with county-specific information widely available online. The final tally on March 5 will reveal voter preferences and set the stage for the approaching national conventions in July and August.

As reported by https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/los-angeles-voter-guide-whats-march-5-2024-ballot, https://patch.com/california/walnutcreek/walnut-creek-march-2024-voter-guide-whats-ballot-vote-centers, https://patch.com/california/concord-ca/concord-march-2024-voter-guide-whats-ballot-vote-centers-more, https://patch.com/california/healdsburg/healdsburg-march-2024-voter-guide-whats-ballot-vote-centers, and https://patch.com/california/lamorinda/lamorinda-march-2024-voter-guide-whats-ballot-early-voting-sites.

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