2024 Senate hopefuls amass millions for campaigns to replace Sen. Feinstein.
California Senate Race Heats Up with Millions in Donations
California candidates vying for an open Senate seat in 2024 have been making waves with their impressive fundraising efforts, according to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
A total of 25 candidates are currently in the running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat. After announcing her retirement plans in February, the five-term senator has sparked a flurry of campaign activity as hopefuls vie for her position.
Adam Schiff Leads the Pack
One standout candidate is Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who has been serving in the House of Representatives for 12 terms. Schiff has managed to amass nearly $15 million in donations from January 1 to June 30, with the majority of contributions coming from individual supporters. In fact, he has received a staggering $14.8 million from individuals alone.
Despite spending approximately $6.3 million, Schiff still has an impressive $30 million in his campaign war chest, as reported in the FEC filings.
It’s worth noting that Schiff, like other federal officeholders, was able to transfer funds from previous campaigns, which has contributed to his substantial financial advantage. Having first taken office in Congress in 2001, his war chest is nearly three times larger than that of current frontrunner Rep. Katie Porter.
Katie Porter Gains Momentum
Porter, a progressive congresswoman who narrowly secured her second term in 2022, announced her candidacy in January and has since collected an impressive $18.7 million in donations. Despite spending approximately $8.3 million this year, she still has a significant $10.4 million in cash on hand.
Another contender for the Senate seat is Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who has collected over $2.3 million and spent $937,000, leaving her with $1.4 million in cash on hand, according to the latest FEC filings.
Race Tightens as Polls Show Shift
A recent survey of California voters conducted by the nonpartisan think tank Public Policy Institute of California reveals a tightening race between Porter and Schiff.
In the survey, Porter emerged as the frontrunner with 19 percent of the vote, followed closely by Schiff at 16 percent and Lee at 13 percent.
Despite facing opposition and controversy, including a recent censure by the Republican-led House, Schiff has garnered support from influential figures such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi has contributed $4,000 from her own campaign account and an additional $10,000 from her political action committee ”PAC to the Future,” as revealed by Federal Election Commission data. While six Republican candidates received less than 10 percent of the vote in the public policy institute survey, Republican candidate Eric Early, an attorney from Los Angeles, led the pack in a poll conducted by the University of California–Berkeley. Early secured 18 percent of the vote, closely followed by Porter with 17 percent and Schiff with 14 percent. However, a significant portion of voters surveyed remained undecided or expressed support for alternative candidates. In terms of fundraising, Early trails behind the top Democrats, as indicated by his latest FEC filing. He has received approximately $200,000 from individual donors, bringing his total collection to around $226,000. After spending nearly $146,000 on his campaign, Early currently has approximately $80,000 on hand for the race, but also owes $103,000 in campaign loans. The race for the open Senate seat in California is shaping up to be a highly competitive and closely watched contest, with candidates from both parties vying for support and making significant strides in fundraising.
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