Democrat Adam Schiff easily defeats Steve Garvey for Senate seat in California

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Democrat Adam Schiff, the California representative who rose to national prominence for leading the first Trump impeachment trial, defeated Republican challenger Steve Garvey in the race for the U.S. Senate seat once held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, according to the Associated Press.

As widely expected, Schiff coasted to an easy victory over Garvey, with the race called minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. PT, reflecting both the state's overwhelming Democratic majority and the popularity of early voting. The quick results came in at the same time as the presidential vote in California, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris the clear winner in her home state.

It's the first Senate race in the state in eight years. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in September 2023, leaving a wide-open field for a full six-year term beginning January 2025.

On the California ballot are two separate races for Senate: one for the brief remainder of Feinstein's term ending January, and the other for a full new term beginning immediately afterward. Both Schiff and Garvey are running for both.

Schiff, a California representative who rose to national prominence for leading the first impeachment trial in 2020, was heavily favored to win the race for most of the campaign, according to polls stretching back several months.

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In a poll released by UC Berkeley on Oct. 11, Schiff led with support from 53% of the state’s likely voters, while Garvey had 36% and another 11% undecided.

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Garvey, a former baseball player, has never held political office. After retiring from Major League Baseball in 1988, he remained a celebrity figure and worked as a motivational speaker.

He played football and baseball at Michigan State University, before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969, and the San Diego Padres in 1982.

Schiff was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, representing much of central Los Angeles, including Hollywood, California, Pasadena, California, and Glendale, California.

Over the past several years the congressman has become a leading voice and popular media figure within the Democratic Party, often speaking in opposition to MAGA Republicanism and attracting the ire of former President Donald Trump.

Race for Senate seat was competitive during the primary

The race for California's first open Senate seat in eight years unofficially started when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Democrat and former EMILY's List President Laphonza Butler to the seat shortly after Feinstein's death. She declined to enter the race, ensuring no candidate had the power of incumbency, even if short.

Ultimately, Schiff and Garvey were the top two vote-getters, garnering roughly 31.5% of the vote, while the two other leading Democratic challengers, Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, fell behind. The four-way primary race was once thought to end with a Porter-vs-Schiff ticket, but the Orange County congresswoman failed to keep up against Schiff's massive fundraising muscle and targeted campaign seeking to box her out and secure an easier road to victory in November.

Though Garvey had succeeded in consolidating California's Republican voters despite his lackluster debate performances and paltry campaign spending, the November race was always a long shot.

While the state's 58 counties run the ideological gamut, from Democratic cities like San Francisco to Republican swaths of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges to purple swing districts in the agricultural Central Valley, statewide, California is still deep blue. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1, and no Republican has held a statewide office for decades.

Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.