In abstract
Of their solely TV face-off earlier than Election Day, U.S. Senate contenders Steve Garvey and Adam Schiff additionally tussle over immigration and different points.
The sparks began flying between U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and former L.A. Dodgers star Steve Garvey minutes into their solely one-on-one debate, as each accused one another of failing Californians.
In an hour-long televised discussion board this night for the U.S. Senate seat — held by Dianne Feinstein till her loss of life final 12 months — the 2 traded verbal jabs and clashed over a variety of points, together with reproductive rights, gun management and immigration.
Garvey, a Palm Desert Republican, portrayed Schiff as a “career politician” who has achieved little to serve California residents throughout his tenure. “This man hasn’t done anything over the last 24 years on any of these things that have given us any consistency in life,” Garvey stated.
Schiff, a Burbank Democrat who has served in Congress since 2001, in flip depicted Garvey as a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has expertise in skilled sports activities, not politics. “While Mr. Garvey was signing baseballs for the last 37 days, I was seeing presidents of both parties and governors of both parties sign my bills into law,” Schiff stated.
The heated exchanges contrasted with the dynamic of the race, which has largely been quiet and static after the March major, during which Schiff spent hundreds of thousands boosting Garvey to elbow out his Democratic opponents, U.S. Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Schiff has persistently dominated Garvey in statewide polls in deep-blue California and has raised extra money than his GOP opponent total — sufficient to fund different Democrats in toss-up races throughout the nation.
Garvey, however, has run a way more low-key marketing campaign and stayed near house — aside from a summer time journey to Israel. He fundraised for his personal marketing campaign whereas skipping out on the California Republican Celebration conference and the Republican Nationwide Conference. He’s additionally performed interviews with native TV stations and appeared at native festivals.
Right here’s extra on a number of the key points in the course of the debate hosted by ABC7 in Los Angeles and the League of Ladies Voters of California:
Abortion
Garvey, noting that he’s Catholic, stated he pledged to help the need of Californians on reproductive rights. In November 2022, California voters enshrined the best to abortion and contraception into the state structure, which Garvey acknowledged.
Garvey has stated he believes reproductive freedom is a state-by-state challenge. In January, Garvey stated he opposed a nationwide abortion ban. And in July, he stated he supported the overturning of Roe v. Wadewhich ended many years of federal safety for abortion and relegated the choice making energy to the states.
Schiff stated he helps making the best to abortion a federal legislation and hammered Garvey for supporting the U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s 2022 resolution to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
“If my colleague was listening to the voices of Californians as he claims, he would hear their voices loud and clear: Californians want a national right to reproductive freedom and they don’t want the government in the business of making that decision for women,” Schiff stated. “I’m for reproductive freedom, Mr. Garvey. You are not.”
‘Court packing’
Schiff has blamed the choice overturning Roe on the excessive court docket’s conservative majority and supported increasing the court docket from 9 justices to 13.
“What I care about is that a small number of conservative justices, who lied about their plans to the Senate, intend to deprive millions of women of reproductive care,” he stated.
In response, Garvey repeatedly accused Schiff of supporting court docket packing — a partisan ploy to alter the variety of justices to realize a desired consequence. It may be achieved in principle, however previous efforts have failed amid steep oppositionABC Information reported.
Garvey argued that Schiff’s help for nationwide abortion rights, gun management measures and abolishing the filibuster — which in impact requires 60 votes to move laws within the U.S. Senate — present that Schiff desires to pack the court docket and “deconstruct” the Structure.
In response, Schiff stated U.S. Supreme Courtroom justices ought to be “rebalanced” and time period restricted, held by a stronger set of ethics code.
“As for packing the court, Mr. Garvey, in case you weren’t paying attention, it’s already been packed,” Schiff stated, referring to the conservative majority.
Weapons
Garvey, who informed CalMatters final 12 months he supported an assault weapons bandidn’t say whether or not he modified his place tonight. As an alternative, he centered solely on pre-sale background checks.
“I think that the most important thing is a stringent background check that goes much deeper than it is today in order to preserve the integrity of the Second Amendment and to be able to provide for people to defend themselves,” he stated.
Schiff stated he helps a common background examine legislation, in addition to a ban on assault weapons and prolonged ammunition clips. He would additionally “strip away the (National Rifle Association)’s immunity from liability,” he stated.
Donald Trump
Schiff — who led the primary impeachment in opposition to Donald Trump — has continued to slam the previous president as an unfit chief. In his personal race, he has tried to tie Garvey — who has voted for Trump twice and who plans to vote for him once more — to Trump, accusing Garvey tonight of being a “MAGA Mini-Me in a baseball uniform.”
Garvey, however, stated Schiff’s give attention to his impeachment effort in opposition to Trump prohibits him from addressing the wants of Californians, arguing that it might be the “most toxic” Senate if Schiff obtained elected.
“I can’t imagine, Mr. Schiff, how you can get up every morning and have one mission, and that’s to go after Donald Trump,” Garvey stated. “How can you think about one man every day and focus on that when you’ve got millions of people in California to take care of?”
However Schiff wore his outspokenness in opposition to Trump as a badge of honor, arguing he “stood up to a corrupt president” and witnessed as Trump “incited” a mob storming the Capitol constructing.
Immigration
Tonight, Garvey described the border as “an existential crisis” created by President Joe Biden. Whereas border crossings spiked below Biden, he has pushed for harder border restrictions, together with expanded government authority to shut down the border and limit asylum seekers.
However Garvey penned an op-ed in La Opinión in opposition to mass deportation of unlawful immigrants, which Trump has pledged to do if he returns to the White Home. As an alternative, Garvey argued the federal authorities ought to improve funding to U.S. Customs and Border Safety, strengthen border safety and expedite family-based inexperienced card functions. He advocated for shutting down the border “temporarily.”
Moreover, Garvey stated he helps reinstating the Trump-era coverage preserving asylum seekers in Mexico whereas their functions are pending. He opposed “catch and release,” which, as a substitute of detaining a migrant, permits them to return to the group whereas they anticipate an immigration court docket listening to.
Schiff stated tonight the federal government must “get control of the border,” advocating for extra personnel and expertise to assist with border patrol whereas additionally making certain humane therapy of migrants.
“We can have both a strong border but also treat people as human beings,” he stated.
Schiff has criticized insurance policies detaining migrants, calling the circumstances at some detention facilities “incredibly disturbing.” He has supported elevated funding so as to add extra judges and interpreters at immigration courts, extra assets to boost border inspections and expanded humanitarian help for asylum seekers.
He additionally helps the U.S. Citizenship Act, which would create a pathway to citizenship for some Deferred Motion for Childhood Arrivals recipients and undocumented immigrants in the event that they move the background checks and have labored within the nation for not less than 5 years.
Schiff and Garvey are vying for the help of Latino voters, who’re the least prone to vote regardless of comprising the most important racial and ethnic group statewide. As a part of an “all-in Latino community strategy,” on Oct. 4, Garvey’s marketing campaign aired its first statewide TV adverts — solely in Spanish — as a part of a $5 million advert purchase.
