It’s been just over a year since California’s U.S. Senate race kicked off, and the top four candidates for the open seat are facing one of their biggest tests yet Monday, Jan. 22: their first debate.
The televised event is the first time voters will be able to really compare, side-by-side, not just these top candidates, but also the three Democratic House members in the race for the seat long held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died Sept. 29.
It’s a time for Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter to differentiate their campaigns, not only on their voting records but on how they present their agendas and themselves. And it’s an opportunity for former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, a later entrant into the race, to reintroduce himself to voters.
“To me, it’s one of the most critical nights of the primary campaign,” said Aimee Allison, the founder of She the People, a national organization that elevates the political role of women of color.
“Depending on how what is said resonates with voters, it will help to define what the (top two) of the field is,” she said.
Hosted by Fox 11 Los Angeles, Politico and the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, the debate comes about two weeks before California voters will receive their primary ballots in the mail.
And it’s an election year that’s rife with uncertainty — like the Republican presidential frontrunner’s continued legal issues, a war in the Middle East that has ramifications back home and a widespread dismal outlook on the state of the economy.
Going into the debate, it’s Schiff, a Burbank Democrat, who maintains a substantial lead over the rest of the field, according to a recent Emerson College poll that found his support rising. Garvey, coming in second, has also seen a boost in support, whereas Porter and Lee have remained stagnant.
“Schiff has a lot of luxury here because he is a clear frontrunner, and he has the most money going through the end,” said Rob…
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