The Los Angeles Times editorial board has endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) in the highly competitive race to be California’s next senator.
Schiff, whose 30th Congressional District includes the communities of West Hollywood, Pasadena, Echo Park, Glendale and Burbank, is among a crowded field of candidates seeking to replace current Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to the position following the death of Dianne Feinstein.
Schiff has been in Congress for more than 20 years and served as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee between 2019 and 2023. He frequently battled with conservatives and then-President Donald Trump, spearheading Trump’s first impeachment for allegedly withholding aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigating his political rival Joe Biden.
He was the lead prosecutor in that impeachment trial and later served on the Jan. 6 committee to investigate Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In 2023, a new-look majority Republican U.S. House censured Schiff for his actions while Trump was president, something Schiff has worn as a badge of honor.
With the growing possibility of Trump securing the GOP presidential nomination, the Times board argued that Schiff is needed in the Senate now more than ever.
“Given the increasingly authoritarian statements from Donald Trump, the possibility he could return to the White House and the Republican Party’s lockstep loyalty to him, the Senate needs Schiff, a battle-tested and thoughtful leader who has demonstrated he can rise to the moment,” they wrote.
Schiff’s appointment to those critical roles shows that he is respected and trusted as a leader in the party, the Times says, adding that his colleagues describe him as “a team player, practiced in the art of compromise and someone who, despite the vilification from Trumpland, has the respect of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.”
While Schiff has 60% support in the California House delegation, including Sen. Nancy Pelosi, the Times states, he’s not the only candidate staking a claim for the seat once held by Feinstein for more than 30 years.
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) is considered by many to be Schiff’s closest competitor in the race. Porter is a progressive favorite and her use of visual aids and unapologetic and pointed lines of questioning makes her a regular viral sensation.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) has served in Congress for 25 years and was the lone dissenting vote against the War in Afghanistan — a decision that was considered controversial at the time, but has since been heralded as an example of her fearlessness to vote with her conscience.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Steve Garvey and attorney Eric Early are among the conservative candidates hoping to do the unthinkable and steal an upset win in deep-blue California, which hasn’t elected a Republican senator since Pete Wilson was re-elected in 1988.
Latest polls show Porter and Garvey trailing Schiff ahead of the March 5 California Primary. The top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party, will head to the November General Election to determine who will be named California’s next senator.
