Candidates vying for California’s U.S. Senate seat gathered on stage Monday for a second relatively quiet debate, focused on growing foreign policy crises and intense discussions over President Joe Biden’s age, backed by a tense fight for second place.
Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter joined Republican Steve Garvey in marketing themselves to California voters, marking the first time the race’s top four candidates have appeared since millions of voters began casting their ballots voting by mail. Although the tone of the debate was punctuated with fewer jabs and attacks than the first, Monday’s event touched on Schiff and Porter’s ongoing chess game as the possibility of Garvey’s ascension in second place behind Schiff looms over the two Democrats.
A recent survey from the University of Southern California describeIt’s a “deadlock” race for second place between Garvey and Porter, both hovering at 15% among likely voters. Although Schiff maintained his comfortable lead in the race in a series of surveys in recent monthsformer Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee has made little progress moving out of fourth place.
Garvey’s recent success has become a point of tension between Porter and Schiff, with the congresswoman accusing Schiff of elevating Garvey’s profile to minimize the chances of a competitive Porter-Schiff race. Due to California’s predominantly blue status, it’s unlikely voters could push Garvey across the finish line in November if the former baseball star ran against Schiff, thereby guaranteeing a Democratic victory. If the primary leads to a showdown between Porter and Schiff, the race is far from called, fueling Porter’s accusations that Schiff’s campaign is aiming for a Garvey-Schiff runoff.
In response to an ad released by the Schiff campaign comparing him to Garvey, Porter lashed out in a February 1 post. “Adam Schiff knows he will lose to me in November,” Porter said in the post. “That’s the point of this blatantly cynical ad: to further her own political career, eliminate qualified Democratic candidates, and encourage a Republican candidate to do so.”
Of the three competitors on stage, Schiff made the most reference to Garvey, presenting his positions and arguments in contrast to the lone Republican. Although Porter’s campaign has complained about her Democratic challenger’s strategy, she has priority in national elections on both sides of the aisle.
Although the topics of Monday’s debate largely mirrored those posed in the first debate on January 22, moderators Frank Buckley and Nikki Laurenzo asked particularly critical questions, including whether “progressive reforms have gone too far” in their attempt to combat on crime, whether President Joe Biden and former President Trump is ‘too old’ to run and questions whether ‘the United States should directly attack Iran’ in response to attacks on US forces by groups proxies financed by Iran.
The candidates are running for what is the first open U.S. Senate seat for California in decades, left vacant after the death of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in September. As a result, the top four candidates are listed on two separate sections of the ballot: one to fill the remainder of Feinstein’s term until early January 2025, and the other to serve a full six-year term.
The main points to remember:
Senate candidates weigh in on age and term limits
Recent discussions about Biden’s age have seeped into the statewide race: Moderators asked whether Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, were too old to run a second term. Democrats Lee, Porter and Schiff defended the Biden administration, with Porter saying age is a conversation that should be had among all elected officials, criticizing Schiff for voting against age limits for members of Congress while voting for age limits for Supreme Court justices.
“As Rep. Porter should know, Supreme Court justices serve for life,” Schiff said in response. “You can’t vote them out of the bench, so they’re very different from elected officials, who are always held accountable.” While Democrats took the opportunity to congratulate their party leader in the Oval Office, Republican Garvey said he was saddened. to President Biden and “the state he currently finds himself in.”
Foreign policy takes center stage
The respective positions of the Democratic candidates on the war between Israel and Hamas and on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza constitute an important fault line. continues to be considered a crucial issue for California voters. Lee, touted as the most progressive candidate, is the leading voice in the race consistently calling for a ceasefire.
However, she stumbled following foreign policy questions regarding funding of Ukraine and stance in favor of the use of force against Iran-backed proxies. Schiff refused to call for a ceasefire, saying Israel has the right to defend itself and said Biden was right to “continue to put pressure on Israel to try to avoid civilian casualties.”
When moderators asked Schiff if he agreed with Biden’s recent remarks calling Israel’s military response to the October 7 terrorist attack in Gaza “overblown,” he responded: “I don’t don’t know if I would put it the way “Porter, whose position has vacillated between those of his Democratic competitors, has focused less on the details of a ceasefire than on Hamas’s position on the inside Gaza.
“I think the people of Gaza absolutely need different leadership,” she said. “I think this should be accompanied by the release of the hostages, as well as a commitment from the United States and Israel to help rebuild Gaza and position it to thrive in the future.”
Garvey largely repeated remarks made during the first debate, emphasizing unconditional support for Israel and calling a two-state solution “naive.”
Cost of living and housing remain key issues
From housing to homeless services to the minimum wage, California’s struggle with affordability has dominated concerns across the board.
“My own children wonder if they will be able to live in California after they graduate high school because of the high cost of living,” Porter said at one point in the evening.
In his most notable moment, Lee discussed his proposal for a $50 minimum wage in the state. “Just do the math: Of course we have a national minimum wage that we need to raise to get to a living wage, you’re talking $20 to $25,” she said. “Fine, but I have to focus on what California needs and the affordability factor when we calculate this salary.”
Overall, Schiff’s performance is likely to solidify or improve his lead, while the battle for second place between Garvey and Porter continues. On Monday night, political newcomer Garvey delivered a performance with fewer gaffes, while Porter showed gaffe-free consistency on his main talking points and messages, while Lee delivered a performance similar to that of last debate.
A third debate is scheduled for February 20, hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
Kathryn Palmer is a 2024 California Elections Fellow for USA TODAY. Contact her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.
