In California’s Senate race, Rep. Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey have emerged as the top two candidates, advancing to the general election in November, according to CBS News projections.
The jungle primary featured a crowded field of more than two dozen candidates from all parties vying for the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Schiff, a Democrat, and Garvey, a Republican, emerged as the most successful in Tuesday’s primary, beating out contenders like Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.
The campaign for Feinstein’s seat has been fiercely contested, with candidates announcing their intentions to run well before Feinstein announced she would not seek reelection.
The rarity of an open Senate seat in California, combined with the state’s deep-blue political landscape, made this race highly anticipated.
Schiff, who has been viewed as the front-runner, faced stiff competition from Garvey, who, according to a recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, was in a statistical tie with Schiff. Lee and Porter also made strong bids to advance to the general election.
With the primary behind them, Schiff and Garvey will now focus on the November election. The same UC Berkeley poll indicates that Schiff would be the clear favorite in a head-to-head matchup against Garvey.
The crowded primary field included several lesser-known candidates, but the race ultimately came down to the four major contenders. Now, California voters will have a clear choice between Schiff and Garvey as they decide who will represent them in the U.S. Senate.