Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

2 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

3 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

3 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

3 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

3 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 days ago
California’s Political Flash in US Senate Will Fade When Two Journeymen Occupy Its Seats
dan_walters
By Dan Walters, CalMatters Commentary
Published 1 year ago on
March 6, 2024

Share

The recent primary election suggests Adam Schiff will likely occupy Dianne Feinstein’s former Senate seat.

Schiff’s arrival alongside Alex Padilla could end the trend of having one flashy senator and one diligent worker.

Both Schiff and Padilla are political journeymen, having climbed the ladder patiently.


In the 173 years since California became a state, 43 men and four women have occupied its two U.S. Senate seats, and a few achieved prominent places in political history.

Dan Walters Profile Picture

Dan Walters

CalMatters

Opinion

Explorer and soldier John Fremont, one of the state’s first two senators, is one of the few historic notables, as are newspaper publisher George Hearst, railroad baron Leland Stanford, political reformer Hiram Johnson and newspaper publisher William Knowland.

Just one California senator, Richard Nixon, made it to the presidency only to resign in disgrace, while Dianne Feinstein became the state’s first woman to represent the state in 1992 and served for a record 31 years before her death last year.

A curious tendency of California’s senators emerged in the 1960s. At any given moment, one of the two current senators would, for various reasons, generate a lot of notoriety in news media while the other would be the worker bee, quietly representing the state’s interests and working on serious national issues.

The gap in personal proclivities of those occupying Senate seats was very obvious during the many years when Feinstein, an uber-serious lawmaker, and Barbara Boxer, who fancied herself a political warrior, were California’s two senators.

One senator, Democrat Alan Cranston, played both roles during his 24 years in the Senate, from 1969 to 1993. At first he was a policy wonk while the other seat was held by two short-termers, John Tunney and S.I. Hayakawa. In the 1980s, however, Cranston became enmeshed in a messy savings and loan scandal and made a very unsuccessful run for the White House while Republican Pete Wilson quietly represented the state.

When Feinstein died, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to serve as a brief replacement, having earlier named Alex Padilla, California’s former secretary of state, after Kamala Harris gave up her Senate seat to become vice president.

Tuesday’s primary election pretty much guaranteed that Adam Schiff, a Democratic congressman from Los Angeles, will occupy what had been Feinstein’s Senate seat. He and Republican Steve Garvey, a former baseball star, were the two top finishers in a field of 27 candidates, each garnering about a third of the votes. They will face each other in November.

The other two potentially viable Democratic candidates, Orange County Congresswoman Katie Porter and Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee, were distant finishers behind Schiff and Garvey.

Schiff’s Tactics Could End up Hurting Dems

The outcome was exactly what Schiff had hoped it would be when he spent heavily on reverse psychology advertising to boost Garvey’s standing among Republican voters by portraying him as a dangerous Republican.

Porter-backer Adam Green was bitter about Schiff’s ploy, telling Politico, “Adam Schiff put his own selfishness above democracy by lifting up Republican Steve Garvey, who will now turn out Trump voters in key House races that could determine control of Congress.”

Had Porter finished second instead of third, as seemed possible months earlier before Garvey entered the race, she would have presented a serious challenge to Schiff from his left flank, given her image as a progressive reformer. But now, with the Democrats enjoying a massive advantage in voter registration vis-à-vis Republicans, Schiff should be able to easily coast to a win in November.

When Schiff, as expected, joins Padilla in the Senate, it means a return to California having two male senators after more than three decades with at least one female senator. It may also end the trend of having one flashy senator and one diligent worker since neither Padilla nor Schiff has a magnetic personality or burning causes to pursue. Both are political journeymen who have patiently climbed the political ladder rung-by-rung.

About the Author

Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. He began his professional career in 1960, at age 16, at the Humboldt Times. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to bmcewen@gvwire.com for consideration.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

UP NEXT

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

UP NEXT

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

UP NEXT

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

UP NEXT

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

UP NEXT

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

UP NEXT

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

3 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

3 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

3 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

4 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

1 day ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

1 day ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

2 days ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

2 days ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked California Highway Patrol motorcycle and tow truck along Highway 99 near North Avenue, missing ...

3 hours ago

A 22-year-old suspected DUI driver crashed into a parked CHP motorcycle and tow truck on Highway 99 near Fresno, narrowly missing an officer and bystanders, CHP said Saturday, July 5, 2025. (CHP)
3 hours ago

Fresno DUI Driver Slams Into CHP Motorcycle, Tow Truck on Highway 99

A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Defense Ministry Says

An Israeli tank maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 6, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
3 hours ago

Israel Sends Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Talks Ahead of Netanyahu Trip to US

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned nearly 80,000 acres as of Sunday, July 6, 2025, morning, prompting widespread evacuation orders and warnings across three counties. (CalFire)
3 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, 30% Contained

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing, China May 31, 2023. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Musk Announces Forming of ‘America Party’ in Further Break From Trump

A search dog operates at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 5, 2025. (Reuters/Sergio Flores)
3 hours ago

Death Toll From Texas Floods Reaches 59, Including 21 Children

2024 Democratic National Convention
4 hours ago

California’s Politics Drifts Right While New York’s Leans Left

Solar Farm in Riesel, Texas
1 day ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend