After thirty years of service, Senator Dianne Feinstein has given up her seat. Given her long tenure, the question of who will take Feinstein’s place has long been debated, but now the time has come to narrow down the candidates. With politics at the forefront of Americans’ minds, it’s no surprise that campaigning has begun so early, as citizens have begun getting involved earlier on in the primaries. It’s hard to follow along with so much information floating around, so I’ve tried to cut down the discourse into a manageable summary for you all.
The three main candidates currently at the forefront of media discussions are Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. This situation may lead to an issue for the Democratic Party if Democratic votes are split between three candidates, giving an upper hand to any Republican candidate.
Barbara Lee is a current Congresswoman and is projected to be the candidate endorsed by Governor Newsom. Some of Lee’s most prominent policy concerns deal with gun control, educational reform and abortion access. Among the abundance of policy work she has contributed to, Lee is remembered as the only policymaker in Congress to vote against invading Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. Katie Porter, another prominent candidate with a strong background, is an advocate for the middle class who has shown her ability to push back against larger agencies through her wins against Wall Street. Porter’s policy plan seems mostly based on economic reform. And the final big candidate is Adam Schiff, who has campaigned based on his policy interests of healthcare, climate change, and the economy.
The wide range of Democratic candidates makes it quite likely that voters will be split between who they choose. Feinstein’s seat is not important in the sense that it may control which way the Senate will go. However, the election may reveal a lot about what voters consider important because we will be able to see how much the issues of race and gender affect which ways a candidate votes. This election has also shown a change in American politics as we have shifted to early involvement from voters and early fundraising from candidates. With the election taking place in over a year a lot is subject to change with information flowing in and out. New candidates may enter and maybe turn around everything that’s currently projected. With politics, it’s important to keep yourself informed so we won’t be bamboozled and can intelligently form our own opinions.