What you need to know
Former California Congressman Adam Schiff will be sworn into the U.S. Senate after winning the November 5 election against former Dodger Steve Garvey. The Southern California politician has served in the House of Representatives since 2001. Schiff will replace Sen. LaFonza Butler. , was appointed to serve the final weeks of Dianne Feinstein’s term after her death. The Burbank Democratic senator’s six-year term begins in January.
Former California Congressman Adam Schiff will be sworn in Monday in a ceremony at the Capitol, becoming the state’s newest senator.
Schiff, 64, will take over from Sen. LaFonza Butler, who was appointed to serve the final weeks of her term following the death of Dianne Feinstein in September 2023. Butler did not contest the seat in the Nov. 5 election. Schiff defeated Republican challenger and former Dodger Steve Garvey.
Live coverage (2 p.m.): Watch the U.S. Senate swearing-in ceremony
Mr. Schiff’s six-year term begins in January.
The swearing-in Monday afternoon will take place on the floor of the U.S. Senate. California’s other U.S. senator, Alex Padilla, will take the oath of office. His office said the ceremony will use the Maimonides Mishneh Torah, which was printed in Italy in 1490.
Mr. Schiff will be sworn in again for a full term on January 3.
Polls show Adam Schiff well ahead of Republican Steve Garvey, and even Donald Trump predicts Burbank will soon be elected to the Senate. It seems the former president is ready for revenge. Conan Nolan reports on NBC4 News on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
“I am truly looking forward to serving in the United States Senate and would like to thank the people across California for giving me this opportunity,” Schiff said in a statement. “We have a lot of work to do.
“I look forward to serving the people of our great state of California.”
The Southern California politician has served in the House of Representatives since 2001 and has become one of President-elect Donald Trump’s fiercest critics. Five years ago, he stood on the same Senate floor as the House impeachment manager, pleading with lawmakers to remove Trump from office over his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
That effort failed in the Republican-led Senate, and Trump was acquitted. President Trump won his second impeachment effort a year after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn his 2020 election loss.
This time, Schiff will be part of the minority in Congress.
President Trump called the Burbank congressman part of the “enemy from within” in a pre-election Fox interview. Schiff dodged a question about concerns that Trump would use the executive branch to retaliate.
“We have to take the tyrant’s every word,” Schiff said in an interview at an NBCLA news conference in October. “His enemies all consider him an enemy: (Barack) Obama, Joe Biden, (Nancy) Pelosi, anyone who stands up to him.”
In a social media post Monday, Schiff echoed a similar theme.
“There is an important purpose behind President Trump’s threats,” he said. “It’s not just retaliation. It’s about sending a message to anyone who dares to hold him accountable.”
Schiff, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, told The Associated Press that he hopes to be known as bipartisan after campaigning in California’s Republican stronghold and learning more about local issues.
“Being there and having people get to know me and have a little bit of a sense of urgency helps me overcome some of the Fox News stereotypes,” Schiff said in an interview with The Associated Press. I think so,” he said.
Schiff’s first job as a senator will be to vote on President Trump’s cabinet nominees. In a social media post last week, he called Kash Patel, a former Republican staffer on the House Intelligence Committee and candidate for FBI director, “more suited to be an internet troll than to be FBI director.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Schiff said the Senate is a “very different place culturally than the House.” He said he has been trying to make inroads with some Republicans, including Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana. Two lawmakers from wildfire-prone states talked about working together on related legislation that could help their states.
Schiff appeared to have earned some respect from some veteran Senate Republicans during the president’s 2020 impeachment trial. After the first day of arguments, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was seen shaking hands with Democrats. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the incoming Senate Majority Leader, said at the time that Schiff was “passionate and his arguments are well articulated.” “I don’t think it was a harmful introduction,” Schiff told The Associated Press.
In January, California’s 30th Congressional District, which Mr. Schiff previously represented, will be handed over to Congressman-elect Laura Friedman. The former lawmaker defeated Republican Alex Balekian in the November election.
Butler is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the Senate, the first Black lesbian to serve openly in Congress, and the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. . She gave a speech on the Senate floor as her farewell address.
“As I conclude this journey as a junior senator representing 40 million Californians, this is my day to thank Californians and to Governor Newsom for giving me the honor and privilege of serving our great state,” Butler said. ” he said.
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