The leading candidates in the race for the open Senate seat in California face off tonight in their first debate. Democrats Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, Barbara Lee and Republican Steve Garvey have all qualified, and while I hope the Democrats assume a united “any one of us is better than Garvey” front, it’s likely that they’ll also make strong arguments for why they should land in the top two.
Porter and Schiff send me emails daily, but Lee apparently doesn’t know I exist. I confess that it hurts my feelings a little. Maybe it’s just the mailing lists I’m on.
Incumbent Sen. Laphonza Butler, who Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed to fill the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat, announced back in October that she wasn’t running for a full-term because she didn’t think serving in the Senate wasn’t “the greatest use of my voice.” If she were an opera singer, I’d definitely agree, but the Senate could use a Black woman member for longer than The Color Purple was in theaters. The polls don’t seem too optimistic about Lee making it out of the primary with a rose.
The New York Times explains the complex process ahead of us:
(Technically, there are two elections for the seat being held at the same time: One to fill the seat from Election Day until the end of the current term on Jan. 3, 2025, and another for the new six-year term that will follow. Voters will cast ballots in both primaries on March 5, and both general elections on Nov. 5. The same four candidates are leading the pack in both races.)
Whoever California voters end up choosing, though, they’ll be better than J.D. Vance or Tim Scott, and let’s root for at least two Democrats to come in ahead of Garvey.
The University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Political Future is hosting tonight’s debate, which is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. PT and will air live on KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area.
You can watch the livestream here.
Now, it’s your OPEN THREAD.
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