Adam Schiff attacks Steve Garvey — but it’s Katie Porter who is furious | Opinion
U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff is warning voters that Republican rival Steve Garvey is “too conservative for California.”
Seems straightforward enough, right?
But apparently, we need to read between the lines to figure out what Schiff is really trying to say in his latest political ad.
Is Rep. Schiff, who represents the San Gabriel Valley, actually trying to boost Garvey’s prospects by burnishing the former Dodger’s conservative credentials, thereby making him more attractive to right-wing voters? And in the process, is Schiff trying to deny fellow Democrat Katie Porter - or Barbara Lee - a spot on the November ballot?
That’s how Porter, the Congress member from Orange County, sees it.
“Adam Schiff knows he will lose to me in November. That’s what this brazenly cynical ad is about — furthering his own political career, boxing out qualified Democratic women candidates, and boosting a Republican candidate to do it,” she posted on X.
Schiff’s ad is “a cynical attempt to boost flailing Republican candidate Steve Garvey – even tying him to Donald Trump though Garvey recently stated he would consider voting for Joe Biden,” a Porter news release said.
Garvey would be a ‘rubber stamp’ for Trump
It’s true that Garvey has not committed to either Trump or Biden — an obvious attempt on his part to come across as a moderate conservative.
It’s also true that he told Politico that he would not rule out voting for Biden.
But remember what Garvey said during the Senate debate held a little over a week ago?
“I don’t believe Joe Biden has been good for this country… We were safer, more, under (Trump) than we are under Biden.”
Does that really sound like someone who is “considering” a vote for Biden?
It does not, and Schiff’s campaign says voters should know that Garvey is not the moderate he claims to be.
“Steve Garvey will be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda if elected. California voters deserve to know the differences between the two top-polling candidates,” said Marisol Samayoa, Communications Director for Schiff for Senate.
But hold on a minute.
That might be true if Garvey were actually elected in November. But Steve Garvey will never, ever be elected to the U.S. Senate in California.
Garvey and Porter are neck-and-neck
In a crowded field of Democrats, Garvey could sneak into second place with enough Republican votes while the Democrats split their votes. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s possible. Given this, it’s understandable that Porter would be nervous. A USC poll of likely voters released this week had Schiff in first place with 25% and Garvey and Porter tied for second with 15% each.
That makes these weeks leading up to the March 5 primary critical for Porter.
She does have one big advantage over Garvey. She has a lot more money to spend. While he’s doing well in the polls, Garvey is lagging in fundraising, raising just $600,000 in the past quarter.
Porter says Schiff is, in effect, helping to bankroll Garvey’s campaign by portraying him as a true conservative.
Her counterattack, however, has already cost her some support.
Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who had been neutral, announced Thursday that she is now backing Schiff.
“There’s been more than one attack by Katie Porter on Adam Schiff,” Boxer said in an interview with Nikki Laurenzo of Fox40 News. “Now (she’s) saying that he’s against women, when Adam Schiff has been what we call as women in politics Sir Galahad... So yes, this has pushed me over the line.”
Look, Schiff’s ad may, indeed, be a cynical ploy. But does anyone expect political rivals, even those from the same party, to have each other’s back?
Attacking Schiff because he wants to win is disingenuous. This is a contest, and it’s natural to want to go up against a weaker competitor in the final round.
Gov. Gavin Newsom rode to an easy election in 2018 and an easier re-election in 2022 against Republican opponents so weak that Newsom never had to mention them by name. In both campaigns, Newsom openly wished to run against a Republican and happily got his wish.
Most spectators, on the other hand, prefer a competitive race, in sports and politics.
Let’s hope they get one in the Senate race. Steve Garvey is nowhere close to being qualified for the position, and while it would serve Schiff’s purposes to have Garvey on the November ballot, voters deserve better.
This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Adam Schiff attacks Steve Garvey — but it’s Katie Porter who is furious | Opinion."
