Adam Schiff gets California fundraising warning as he breaks with Biden

Republican Steve Garvey’s fundraising eclipsed that of Representative Adam Schiff in California’s Senate race over the past several months, according to new campaign finance data. Garvey celebrated the fundraising report in a statement to Newsweek.

Schiff, a Democrat, and the former baseball star Garvey are set to face off in November in the Golden State’s election to fill the seat of late Senator Dianne Feinstein. Schiff is viewed as the front-runner in the deeply Democratic state where Republicans have struggled in statewide races. But finance data from April through June shows Schiff’s fundraising lagging behind Garvey’s.

Schiff’s latest fundraising report reveals that he raised about $4.2 million between May and June, while Garvey’s showed that he raised about $5.4 million in the same time period, according to the reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Despite the strong fundraising quarter, it remains to be seen whether Garvey can make the race competitive, as Schiff holds a strong polling lead and has outraised him in previous months.

Schiff still has more cash on hand. According to the filings, he has about $6.4 million on hand compared to Garvey’s 3.3 million.

“Californians are tired of the status quo,” Garvey told Newsweek. “They are tired of the division, they are tired of Washington, D.C., not working together, they are tired of Adam Schiff representing his party bosses rather than them, and now they are speaking up with their checkbooks.

“From day one, voters and donors alike have resonated with my message, that I am running for all of the people with an agenda of building consensus and legislating with common sense and compassion. I appreciate every dollar contributed to our mission of bringing civility and leadership back to Washington, D.C.”

Newsweek also reached out to Schiff’s campaign for comment via email.

On Wednesday, Schiff broke from Biden about whether he should stay in the presidential race.

Biden has faced calls to withdraw from the race after his debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month. He sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers, doing little to quell concerns about his age.

Schiff joined growing calls for him to exit the race, issuing a statement praising Biden as “one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history” but warned that the “nation is at a crossroads,” according to The Los Angeles Times.

“A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said.

The latest polling of the race shows that Schiff remains the favorite.

The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,098 likely voters from May 23 to June 2 about who they plan to support in November. In that poll, 62 percent of respondents said they plan to back Schiff, compared to 37 percent who plan to vote for Garvey, giving Schiff a 25-point advantage.

Republicans were able to compete in some statewide elections in California throughout the 2000s, but it has become increasingly Democratic in recent years as the party strengthens its margins in suburban areas. Bien won the state by more than 29 points in 2020, and the state is not viewed as competitive in this year’s presidential race.