Democrat Adam Schiff wins Dianne Feinstein’s former Senate seat

Representative Adam Schiff has won the late Dianne Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat, defeating GOP challenger and former MLB star Steve Garvey, The Associated Press predicted Tuesday night.

Garvey, who refused to seek approval from former President Trump and embraced the fact that he was a “conservative moderate,” congratulating Schiff during an election night appearance with his supporters.

“I want you to know that regardless of the outcome, when the counting is over, we will have received the fourth most votes in the country,” Garvey said. “This means everyone in California has a voice, and it’s only going to get louder and louder.

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“I would like to sincerely thank you for your support and vote. It was an honor to be your nominee and represent you in this great state of ours, to discuss the issues and ideas we care about most – the cost of living, solving our homeless crisis, keeping our communities safe are made, our public schools are improved, and our border is secured,” Garvey said.

The Los Angeles-area congressman who rose to national fame as the lead prosecutor in President Trump’s first impeachment trial defeated a Republican former baseball star who had tried to parlay his sports celebrity into a political career.

Schiff, who was favored to win in deep blue California, did not immediately issue a statement.

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Garvey, a former MLB first basemanspent a week in Israel as part of his campaign efforts earlier this year to stand in solidarity with California’s Jewish community and distinguish himself from his Democratic opponent during the college campus riots.

Schiff framed his campaign around national issues, including abortion rights, as he continued to antagonize Trump and called the former president a threat to democracy. He also pitted his years of experience in Congress — Schiff was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 — against Garvey, a first-time candidate who positioned himself as an outsider with a fresh perspective on the long-standing homelessness crisis, inflation and crisis in California. housing costs.

Feinstein, a Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992, died in September 2023 at the age of 90. Laphonza Butler, a Democratic insider and former labor leader, was appointed to the seat after Feinstein’s death and decided not to seek a full term this year.

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California Republicans have struggled to gain momentum in their campaigns in recent years, often overshadowed by a Democratic trifecta.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.