The only head-to-head debate in There’s a lot at stake in California’s US Senate race. Representative Adam B. Schiff and former Dodger Steve Garvey had a contentious exchange Tuesday over a number of national political issues — from immigration to the economy, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, reproductive health care and global warming.
The sharpest exchange, however, concerned the two candidates’ starkly different stances on former President Trump.
Schiff, a Burbank Democrat with more than 20 years of experience in the House and a strong lead in the polls, chose Garvey as an inexperienced Trump supporter who would pursue conservative values rather than Californian values in Washington.
Schiff quipped that Californians “aren’t looking for some MAGA mini-me in a baseball uniform.”
Garvey, a Palm Desert Republican with no political experience but high name recognition from his days as a Major League Baseball star, suggested that Schiff was too caught up in party politics and was a failure for California voters. Her vendetta against Trump was to focus on the most important issues.
“How can you think about one guy every day and focus on him, when you have millions of people in California to take care of?” Garvey said. “I think it’s unconscionable.”
The debate remained heated from the beginning. When Schiff accused Garvey of turning a blind eye in his first remarks Trump’s worst impulses – Schiff said he “wanted to be dictator on day one” – Garvey replied, borrowing the famous Ronald Reagan line used in the 1980 presidential debate, “There you go again.”
During a separate conversation on immigration, in which Schiff accused Garvey of supporting Trump’s mass deportation plans, Garvey said, “One of the two of us is honest and straightforward.”
Schiff responded, “I agree with that.”
The debate gave the two candidates the final chance to face off publicly before voters decide between them in the November election. Californians will be asked to vote twice in the Senate race: first, to choose Schiff or Garvey to complete the remainder of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s final term, which ends in early January, and, separately, Who must serve the subsequent six-year Senate term.
Tuesday’s debate was the first since Garvey and Schiff won the two-most votes in the more crowded primary field, with Schiff besting Democratic rivals Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland. Polls show Schiff has a substantial lead over Garvey.
on immigration
The moderator of the fast-paced, hour-long debate, hosted by KABC-TV in partnership with Univision and the League of Women Voters, asked Schiff and Garvey several questions. Immigration and Border Security.
Schiff said the country needs to “get control of the border” with more personnel and technology to interdict people and drugs. But it also requires a “comprehensive immigration policy” that treats people humanely and provides relief to people who arrived in the US as farm workers and undocumented children.
And he criticized Garvey for supporting Trump, saying Trump’s plan for mass deportations would devastate the country and immigrant communities.
“When you say you’re for Donald Trump, you’re voting for mass deportation,” Schiff said.
Garvey said his campaign has focused heavily on Latino communities. He also said that there is a need to significantly increase border security. Schiff was with President Biden, he said Created an “existential crisis” by supporting “open borders”.
“What we have to do is secure the border. We have to finish the wall. We must restore ‘Remain in Mexico,’” Garvey said. “We have to strengthen patrolling on our border. “We have to build facilities at the border that will detain these illegal immigrants, then have a judicial system that will prosecute them.”
A record number of people have been stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden-Harris administration, and Republicans across the country — including Garvey — are pushing to make border security a campaign liability for Democrats.
“Many Americans are concerned about immigration,” said Mindy Romero, founder of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at USC. “The reason Republicans are talking about it so much is because it works.”
While Garvey’s chances of winning the Senate race are slim, given how deep blue California voters are overall, Romero said, he’s still the highest-ranking Republican on the ballot after Trump — and Garvey is the one on immigration. Says he could still matter to Republicans.
“In California, we are not a monolith and we are not all together on this issue,” Romero said. “What Garvey says and does could help inspire and organize Republicans.”
on abortion
Mediators sought to clarify Garvey’s position on abortion rights, without success.
He has stated that he personally opposes abortion and would not support a federal ban on abortion.
“I’m a Catholic,” Garvey said Tuesday night. “I believe in life at conception. I believe that God puts a soul into these embryos. That’s why I stand firm on my policies on abortion and pledge to support all Californians.”
But Garvey also pledged to “support the voices of Californians.” He said he supports an amendment to the state constitution enshrining abortion rights, which was supported by two-thirds of Golden State voters in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
If Garvey “is listening to the voices of Californians, as he claims, he will hear their voices loud and clear,” Schiff said. “Californians want a national right to reproductive freedom and they don’t want the government to make that decision for women.”
Schiff has long been a vocal advocate for access to abortion services, and he said Tuesday that he supports establishing a national right to abortion access.
A UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies poll in early August, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that more than half of California’s likely voters surveyed – 52% – said they would choose someone who “supports abortion.” There will be a strong voice in defense of rights.” “Senate” was very important to him.
on the economy
The differences in how Schiff and Garvey view the role of government were on full display when they were pressed on how to address the rising costs of goods and housing.
“We’re in a much worse situation than we were four years ago,” Garvey said. He said he supported more free-market policies, and described Schiff as “Schiff-flation”.
Housing is a local issue and the government can become “overly involved” in it because of greater federal regulation, Garvey said.
Asked how he would help renters, he said he would do so by “getting the U.S. economy moving again.”
Schiff said he would support more direct federal spending on housing, and also support the expansion of Section 8 vouchers, a government subsidy that enables eligible tenants to find housing with private landlords. He also proposed a “renter’s tax credit”, similar to a tax deduction, which allows homeowners to write off their mortgage interest payments.
Garvey said he would support “a tariff on imported goods shipped by a company that threatens the success of an American company.” But, he said, he would prefer to lower domestic taxes to promote more small businesses and reduce the need to import foreign goods.
Schiff said he does not support Trump’s “across-the-board tariffs”, which he says would raise prices for consumers. He said he would support “targeted tariffs” when China dumps cheaper goods into the country “to try to put American businesses out of business.”
The late, rising Feinstein
Political ghost loomed throughout the debate The woman for whose seat Schiff and Garvey are competing at-large.
Right out of the gate, KABC anchor and moderator Mark Brown brought up Feinstein as the author of the 1994 assault weapons ban, and asked Garvey if she would take any action on guns if elected.
“I believe in the Constitution, I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe it will never be overturned, nor should we attempt to overturn it,” Garvey said. “I sympathize with all those who may have been victims of the shooting, but I think the most important thing to preserve the integrity of the Second Amendment is to have stringent background checks that go much deeper than we have today. ” And for people to be able to provide for their own safety.”
Schiff said Californians need leaders like Feinstein who are willing to “stand up” to the National Rifle Association.
“I would support a ban on assault weapons. I will support expanded and universal background checks. I will support a ban on expanded ammunition clips and my own bill, which would take away the NRA’s liability exemption, Schiff said. “Mr. Garvey was asked just a few weeks ago if he would support any gun control measures, and his answer was clear, no, this is not what Californians are looking for. Californians want a leader like Dianne Feinstein, Which will stand for the NRA.
Later in the debate, Feinstein again came up with the issue of environmental regulations — and whether Schiff would ease water restrictions on farmers.
Schiff said he would not support “exploitative” regulations, but would do what Senator Feinstein did, which is to “look for opportunities where we have a win-win for both our farms, our cities, and our environment.” Can do.”
Garvey said environmentalists in the state need to work with farmers, and he is a “consensus builder” who can help do that. He called water “the platinum issue in California,” and Schiff doesn’t know how to fix it.
Schiff later took Feinstein by name on the economy, saying that she realized many people in California were struggling economically and that she wanted “Feinstein’s model” to involve “community leaders and stakeholders in every part of this Golden State.” Will work together.
“Mr. Schiff, you are no Dianne Feinstein,” Garvey said. “I remember when this state was the heartbeat of America, and now it’s just a whisper.”
In response, Schiff said that Feinstein was her friend and that she would never pretend to be her equal, as she was a “giant”. But he suggested she was more similar to Feinstein than Garvey.
Schiff said, “While Mr. Garvey was signing baseballs for the last 37 years, I was watching presidents of both parties and governors of both parties signing my bills.”
return to trump
After the debate, in small conversations with reporters, both Schiff and Garvey came back to another politician who wasn’t in the room: Trump.
Schiff said it was clear from the debate that Garvey is “for Trump” and his agenda.
“He is in favor of states being able to ban abortion. He is against any type of gun safety legislation. He is in favor of opening oil taps. These are Project 2025 and Trump’s ideas, but they don’t mesh well in California, Schiff said.
Garvey said he feels he has been unfairly associated with Trump.
“People know we’re two completely different people,” he said.
He said Schiff’s efforts to “paint me as far-right” would not succeed, because “people know I’m conservatively liberal.”
Garvey declined to say whether he would vote for Trump in November, but confirmed he voted for Trump for the third time in this year’s primaries.
