Honestly, if you were watching the ca senate race 2024 from a distance, it probably looked like a foregone conclusion. California is deep blue. Adam Schiff is a household name. The math seemed simple. But when you actually dig into the numbers and the weirdly effective strategies used, it’s a lot more interesting than just "Democrat wins in California."
The Strategy That Actually Worked
Basically, Adam Schiff won this race in March, not November. He did something that some people called genius and others called cynical. He spent millions of dollars on ads—not to attack his fellow Democrats, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, but to "attack" Republican Steve Garvey.
By labeling Garvey as "too conservative for California," Schiff actually boosted Garvey’s profile among GOP voters. It was a calculated risk. Schiff knew that if he faced another Democrat in the general election, it would be a grueling, expensive fight for the soul of the party. If he faced a Republican? He’d coast.
He was right.
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Schiff ended up pulling in 9,036,252 votes, which is roughly 58.9% of the total. That’s a massive number. It actually broke the record for the most votes ever received by a U.S. Senate candidate in American history. Garvey, despite losing, didn't exactly get embarrassed. He grabbed 6,312,594 votes (41.1%). For a Republican in California, that’s the best performance for this specific seat since 1994.
The Garvey Surprises
Steve Garvey isn't your typical politician. He’s a former Dodgers and Padres star. He ran a low-key campaign. He didn't even show up to a lot of the standard Republican Party events.
You’d think he would have been crushed in the suburbs, but he actually won Orange County. Let that sink in for a second. Orange County voted for Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, but it went for Garvey for Senate.
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There was this weird split-ticket thing happening.
Garvey also received about 200,000 more votes than Donald Trump did in California. It turns out there's a specific slice of the California electorate that is tired of the status quo but isn't quite ready to go full MAGA. Garvey’s "commonsense" pitch resonated with people who wouldn't normally touch a GOP ballot.
Why the Demographics Matter
The voting blocks were pretty much what you'd expect, but with some spicy details in the margins.
- Geographic Divide: Schiff owned the coast. In San Francisco, he took over 80% of the vote. But in the Inland Empire and the Central Valley, things were tight. Garvey won Riverside County by about 1% and San Bernardino by 2%.
- The Gender Gap: For the first time in over 30 years, California is now represented by two men in the Senate. This was a huge talking point for progressives who were mourning the loss of the seat once held by Dianne Feinstein and briefly by Laphonza Butler.
- Turnout Issues: In the primary, younger voters—specifically the 18-34 demographic—stayed home in droves. Only about 347,000 of them showed up compared to over 2.2 million voters over the age of 65. That lack of youth energy basically killed Katie Porter’s momentum before she could even get to the general.
What Adam Schiff Actually Does Now
So, Schiff is in. He’s the "junior" senator, even though he's older than Alex Padilla.
Because he won both the "full term" and the "special election" (to fill the final weeks of Feinstein’s term), he got a tiny head start on seniority. That sounds like a boring DC detail, but it actually helps with committee assignments.
He’s going to be a massive thorn in the side of the White House.
His priorities are pretty clear:
- Housing: He’s pushing for expanded tax credits for affordable housing.
- Gun Control: He wants a national assault weapons ban.
- Abortion Rights: He’s a "yes" on codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.
But here’s the kicker: Republicans took control of the Senate. Schiff is a powerful orator and a fundraising beast, but he’s going to be spending a lot of time in the minority. His influence is going to be measured by how well he can use the "bulwark of democracy" (his words) to slow down GOP legislation.
What This Means for You
If you live in California, the ca senate race 2024 results mean your representation is shifting from the "institutionalist" style of Feinstein to the "prosecutorial" style of Schiff.
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You should keep an eye on how he handles the border. During the debates, he tried to thread a needle—supporting more personnel and tech for control while criticizing the Biden-era asylum bans. It’s a delicate balance.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Track the Voting Record: Use sites like GovTrack to see if Schiff sticks to his primary promises or drifts toward the center now that he has a six-year term.
- Watch the Committee Assignments: If Schiff lands a spot on Judiciary or Intelligence, expect him to stay in the national spotlight. If he gets stuck on less high-profile committees, his "national hero" status among Democrats might fade.
- Look Toward 2026: The GOP’s "Garvey Model"—using a celebrity with a moderate tone—might be the blueprint they use for the Governor’s race in two years.
The 2024 race proved that California isn't a monolith. It’s a state of high-turnout seniors and disaffected youth, of deep-blue cities and surprisingly purple suburbs. Schiff won the battle, but the cultural tug-of-war in the Golden State is nowhere near over.