SCHIFF LEADS SENATE BATTLE
Garvey follows in 2nd place, with Porter in 3rd, in the first wave of counting Tuesday night for the contest to fill Feinstein's seat
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, was leading the primary race to become California's next U.S. senator, while Republican former Dodger Steve Garvey followed in second place.
That's according to the first wave of ballots released by the secretary of state's office shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, which consisted of voteby-mail ballots received prior to election day.
At that time, Schiff held 36% of the vote, Garvey held 30%, Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine held 15%, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, held 7%. The remaining 24 candidates each held 3% or less of the vote. By 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, both the Associated Press and the New York Times had called the race for Schiff and Garvey to head for a runoff.
The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, proceed to the November runoff.
The race to fill the seat long held by former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in September, has attracted many political hopefuls, but Schiff, Porter, Garvey and Lee quickly rose to the front of the pack. They have spent the last few months in a furious frenzy of debates, media appearances and meet and greets to make their case to California voters in the nation's most expensive Senate race.
Schiff, known for leading the House effort to impeach thenPresident Donald Trump in 2020, branded himself a defender of democracy with the guts to stand up to Republicans and get things done for the Golden State.
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