In California, all candidates from any party appear on the primary ballot together, and the top two finishers go to the general election.
Given the heavy Democratic tilt of the state, this has often yielded a general election between two Democrats.
The 2022 election was the first time in a decade that a Republican Senate candidate even made the November ballot, and it helped buoy the party’s turnout in crucial House races.
The 2024 race to succeed Dianne Feinstein looked like a heavyweight Democratic matchup of “Resistance” hero Adam Schiff, progressive darling Katie Porter, and anti-warrior Barbara Lee. But Republicans recruited former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres star Steve Garvey, and a funny thing happened: Schiff spent millions elevating Garvey so he could avoid a one-on-one fight with Porter in November.
It was straight from the Democratic playbook for meddling on the Republican side, and it worked: Schiff will face Garvey in the fall and likely defeat him easily.
But Garvey’s presence on the ballot could help Republican turnout in other races. Porter is fuming that she lost because of “an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” Democrats deserve these a taste of their own medicine.
