Schiff and Garvey Set for California Senate Debate

The two candidates vying for California’s U.S. Senate seat, Republican Steve Garvey and Democrat Adam B. Schiff, are set to face off in their only scheduled debate of the general election on Tuesday night. The debate will take place at 5 p.m. and will be hosted by KABC-TV in Los Angeles, co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of California.

This debate will be a pivotal moment in the race for the highly contested Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who served for over three decades until her passing last year. With Feinstein’s seat temporarily filled by Laphonza Butler, who declined to seek election, voters will decide twice on November 5 — once to fill Feinstein’s remaining term and once for the full six-year term.

Adam B. Schiff, a seasoned Democrat from Burbank, has been a representative for parts of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley since 2001. His opponent, Steve Garvey from Palm Desert, is well-known not for his political pursuits but for his 18-year career as a first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

Polls indicate a tight race, with Schiff having a marginal lead. In the primary elections, Schiff finished first for the full term with 31.6% of the vote, while Garvey followed closely at 31.5%. For Feinstein’s unexpired term, Garvey led with 33.2% to Schiff’s 29.3%.

The debate, moderated by KABC anchor Marc Brown, will feature panelists including Kristen Sze from Bay Area’s KGO-TV, Warren Armstrong of Fresno’s KFSN-TV, and Gabriela Teissier from Univision Los Angeles. It will be broadcast live on KABC and streamed on abc7.com, along with various streaming platforms like Roku, Apple TV, and Google TV. A Spanish rebroadcast is scheduled on KMEX-TV by Univision Los Angeles the following Wednesday.

Issues likely to dominate the debate are significant to the state and national political landscape, including border policy approaches. Aimed at assisting voters in their decision-making, this debate presents an opportunity for each candidate to articulate their vision for California’s representation in the U.S. Senate.