Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US Senate Debate Raises Key Question: Will Republican Steve Garvey Advance to November?
By admin
Published 7 months ago on
January 24, 2024

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The tenor of Monday night’s first face-to-face debate among the four leading candidates for the U.S. Senate was dictated, in effect, by their standings in pre-election polls.

Dan Walters with a serious expression

Dan Walters

CalMatters

Opinion

Six weeks out from the March 5 primary election – and only a couple of weeks until mail ballots can be cast – Adam Schiff, a Democratic congressman from Burbank, is the clear leader and very likely will finish first for a spot on the November election.

The real battle is for second place and thus the other position on the ballot eight months hence under California’s top-two system.

Katie Porter, a Democratic congresswoman from Irvine, seemed destined for a second-place primary finish until Republican Steve Garvey, a former star baseball player, jumped into the contest. Polls indicate that Porter and Garvey are in a dead heat for second place with Barbara Lee, a Democratic member of Congress from Oakland, trailing the field.

Schiff Would Love to See Garvey Finish Second

Schiff would be quite pleased if Garvey finished second, a distinct possibility with Democrats divvying their party’s vote. Having Garvey as a November rival would make Schiff a prohibitive favorite to win the seat, given the Democrats’ very lopsided voter advantage.

Were Porter or Lee to finish second in the primary, the November runoff would be far more competitive, mirroring the complex struggle for dominance between their party’s progressive left and its professional political class. Schiff enjoys support from the party regulars, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Porter portrays herself as a progressive advocate of curbing corporate influence in Washington.

Democrats Split on War in Gaza

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which touched off when the militant group staged a deadly raid on Israel in October, is one of the flashpoints between the two wings of the Democratic Party, and was very evident on Monday.

Lee, who is best known for her many votes against wars, was an early proponent of a ceasefire in Gaza, while Porter later endorsed that view. On the other hand, Schiff, who is Jewish, has been a steadfast supporter of Israel, said that Hamas cannot be allowed to control Gaza.

Schiff and Garvey were in sync on that divisive issue, with the latter saying, “I stand with Israel today and tomorrow.”

Notwithstanding the sharp division on Gaza among Democrats, other policy issues raised by the panel of questioners, such as abortion, homelessness and immigration, did not produce many differences. Mostly, they took turns ragging on Garvey about his previous support for ex-President Donald Trump and demanding that he declare whether he would vote for Trump again this year.

Garvey refused to take a position on Trump’s bid to return to the presidency, saying he would decide later.

“I’m my own man,” Garvey insisted. “I make my own decisions.”

“Once a Dodger, always a dodger,” Porter snapped at Garvey in one of several allusions to his former career as a baseball player.

Porter, hoping to claim a spot on the November ballot, did take a few potshots at frontrunner Schiff, saying he took “dirty money” from corporate interests while she refused it. Schiff retorted that he had spent some of that money getting Porter re-elected to Congress.

It’s doubtful that the debate itself, which was broadcast locally and online, would have a major influence on the March outcome, but its issues will be amplified in post-debate media drives.

The question still to be answered is whether Garvey will consolidate support among Republican voters, who are numerous enough to give him a second-place finish if the three Democrats’ shares of their party’s voters are more or less equal. If Garvey finishes second, the contest is decided for all intents.

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

Bulldogs’ Gameplan Works to Perfection Until Late 4rth Quarter

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Puts No. 9 Michigan on Upset Alert but Wolverines Prevail

DON'T MISS

Coffee Pot Fire Is 13% Contained but Grows to 10,164 Acres

DON'T MISS

CA Lawmakers Pass Landmark Bills to Atone for Racism, but Hold Off Funding

DON'T MISS

49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery

DON'T MISS

Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?

DON'T MISS

Red Wavers Go the Extra Mile to Make It a Party Before the ‘Dogs Play Michigan

DON'T MISS

Voting Rights Under Fire in Texas: Over a Million Purged From Rolls, ACLU Warns

DON'T MISS

Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins

DON'T MISS

Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home

UP NEXT

Fresno State Puts No. 9 Michigan on Upset Alert but Wolverines Prevail

UP NEXT

Coffee Pot Fire Is 13% Contained but Grows to 10,164 Acres

UP NEXT

CA Lawmakers Pass Landmark Bills to Atone for Racism, but Hold Off Funding

UP NEXT

49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery

UP NEXT

Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?

UP NEXT

Red Wavers Go the Extra Mile to Make It a Party Before the ‘Dogs Play Michigan

UP NEXT

Voting Rights Under Fire in Texas: Over a Million Purged From Rolls, ACLU Warns

UP NEXT

Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins

UP NEXT

Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home

UP NEXT

Labor Day Quiz: What Did Elvis Do Before He Was the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’?

CA Lawmakers Pass Landmark Bills to Atone for Racism, but Hold Off Funding

5 hours ago

49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery

5 hours ago

Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?

6 hours ago

Red Wavers Go the Extra Mile to Make It a Party Before the ‘Dogs Play Michigan

6 hours ago

Voting Rights Under Fire in Texas: Over a Million Purged From Rolls, ACLU Warns

13 hours ago

Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins

17 hours ago

Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home

18 hours ago

Labor Day Quiz: What Did Elvis Do Before He Was the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’?

18 hours ago

Why Black Students Are Still Disciplined at Higher Rates: Takeaways From AP’s Report

19 hours ago

Top Brazilian Judge Orders Suspension of X Platform in Brazil Amid Feud With Musk

1 day ago

Bulldogs’ Gameplan Works to Perfection Until Late 4rth Quarter

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fresno State interim head coach Tim Skipper revealed his gameplan after Michigan’s 30-10 football victory over the ...

2 hours ago

Fresno State intermin head coach Tim Skipperl watches his team warm up during pregame of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
2 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Gameplan Works to Perfection Until Late 4rth Quarter

Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene throws against Michigan in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
3 hours ago

Fresno State Puts No. 9 Michigan on Upset Alert but Wolverines Prevail

A view of the Coffee Pot Fire in Tulare County California
4 hours ago

Coffee Pot Fire Is 13% Contained but Grows to 10,164 Acres

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, right, talks to members of Coalition for a Just and Equitable California about two reparations bills in the rotunda on the last day of the legislative year Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)
5 hours ago

CA Lawmakers Pass Landmark Bills to Atone for Racism, but Hold Off Funding

Police officers secure the area and investigate the scene of a shooting at Union Square in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
5 hours ago

49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in anticipation of signing a bill on his proposed oil profit penalty plan in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. (CalMatters/ Miguel Gutierrez Jr.)
6 hours ago

Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?

Fresno State dancers cheer on the Bulldogs against Michigan, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
6 hours ago

Red Wavers Go the Extra Mile to Make It a Party Before the ‘Dogs Play Michigan

13 hours ago

Voting Rights Under Fire in Texas: Over a Million Purged From Rolls, ACLU Warns

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend