Schiff tops race for coveted California Senate seat with Garvey close behind
LOS ANGELES — Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank is headed to the November runoff for California’s most competitive Senate race in a generation, most likely facing Republican challenger Steve Garvey in the contest to represent the Golden State in Washington.
The Associated Press called the race for Schiff less than a half-hour after polls closed. As results trickled in, Garvey appeared to be in a strong second place, with the other Democratic front-runners, Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine and Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, in third and fourth place, respectively.
Schiff, Porter and Lee have been campaigning for more than a year to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who had represented California in the Senate since 1992. Garvey, a former Dodgers All-Star, entered the race in October.
The job, one of the most coveted in California politics, is rarely open. Feinstein was in the Senate for more than three decades, and Sen. Barbara Boxer served for nearly a quarter-century. A Senate seat can also be, and .
