According to recent polling data, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Republican candidate Steve Garvey are currently neck and neck in California’s nonpartisan Senate primary.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at the University of California, Berkeley, Garvey has garnered 27 percent support, while Schiff follows closely behind at 25 percent.
Representative Katie Porter from California did not make it into the top two, receiving 19 percent of the vote, while Representative Barbara Lee from California came in last with only 8 percent.
California’s nonpartisan primary system sends the top two vote-getters to a runoff in November, regardless of party affiliation.
The candidates are vying to fill the position left vacant by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), currently occupied by temporary appointee Sen. Laphonza Butler (D).
Schiff, who has been consistently ahead in recent polls, seems to be promoting Garvey in order to set up a more favorable matchup for himself, according to observers who believe a Democrat-Republican contest would be more advantageous for Schiff than an intra-party battle.
Schiff, Porter, Garvey, and Lee are candidates for a Senate term starting in January 2025, as well as a partial term to fill the gap between this November and the next term.
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