What is at stake in the 2024 California Senate race?

Rachel Barber, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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During the California primary election in March, registered voters in the deep blue state set up Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to likely beat former baseball star and Republican Steve Garvey for the coveted U.S. Senate seat in the general election.

However, that likely predictable outcome does not mean the race will be uninteresting. In November, voters will get the chance to fill the same seat twice on their ballot.

After Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in September last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to the seat until November, leaving two months of the term open for the winner of a special election in November. A separate ballot question will also ask Golden State voters to choose who will hold the office for the next six years.

While unusual, that means voters could choose one person to hold the job for two months in the special election and another to serve a full six-year term in the regularly scheduled election.

US Representative and 2024 US Senate candidate Adam Schiff (C), Democrat of California, speaks to the press after voting in the Super Tuesday presidential primary in Burbank, California, on Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
US Representative and 2024 US Senate candidate Adam Schiff (C), Democrat of California, speaks to the press after voting in the Super Tuesday presidential primary in Burbank, California, on Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

More: 2024 California All-Party Primary Election Results

Fundraising in the 2024 California US Senate race is already historic

Heading into Super Tuesday, California's U.S. Senate race was already one of the most expensive in the state's history. Since then, Schiff and Garvey have continued to fundraise.

Schiff has far out-raised his opponents in the race. Federal Election Commission filings reveal that as of the end of March, the Democrat had raised close to $35 million in campaign contributions while Garvey has raised about $5.5 million.

In contrast, according to FEC filings from 2018, Feinstein raised about $11.2 million in contributions during her last reelection campaign.

Steve Garvey, Republican candidate for the open California U.S. Senate seat speaks to the media during his election night watch party in Palm Desert, Calif., on Super Tuesday., March 5, 2024.
Steve Garvey, Republican candidate for the open California U.S. Senate seat speaks to the media during his election night watch party in Palm Desert, Calif., on Super Tuesday., March 5, 2024.

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For the first time in 30 years, California won't have a woman serving in the US Senate

No matter whether Schiff or Garvey wins the general election this year, California will not have a woman serving in the Senate for the first time in more than three decades.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer was elected to represent California alongside Feinstein in 1992. Kamala Harris, now Vice President, succeeded Boxer in 2017 following her retirement. When Harris joined President Joe Biden's administration, Newsom appointed Sen. Alex Padilla to the seat and went on to win a full six-year term in 2022.

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Ken Tran contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Key factors impacting the 2024 California Senate race

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