Adam Schiff Has Major Cash Advantage over Katie Porter, Barbara Lee in California Senate Race

California Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) addresses members of the International Alli
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Jacob Bliss
Washington, DC

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) showed a significant cash advantage in California’s U.S. Senate race over House colleagues eying the same seat.

In the U.S. Senate race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) when she retires in 2024, Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) were both able to raise millions of dollars, completely outpacing Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA).

FILE - Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2022. Porter of says she will seek the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat and the longest serving member of the chamber. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool, File)

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA). (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

But Schiff has a major cash advantage over both prominent House Democrats in the race.

During the first three months of the year, Schiff raised $6.5 million and spent $2.8 million, while Porter raised $4.5 million and spent $2.5 million, according to their fundraising disclosure quarterly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

However, Schiff left himself with $24.7 million cash on hand, while Porter only left herself with $9.5 million, both better positioned than Lee.

FILE - Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. Lee filed paperwork Wednesday, Feb. 15, to enter the race for the seat held by long-serving Sen. Dianne Feinstein, adding another Democrat and a nationally recognized Black woman to a growing field that already includes two other members of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Lee’s quarterly report showed that she only raised $1.1 million and spent $101,000, leaving her with $1.2 million cash on hand.

Dan Schnur, a politics professor for UC Berkeley, USC, and Pepperdine University, told the Los Angeles Times, “Schiff is in a better position than expected. Porter ended up coming shorter than expectations — she’s going to have to demonstrate that she has more fundraising depth than it appears right now.”

“Lee’s going to have to find another way of doing it other than lots of money, but we knew that from beginning,” Schnur added. “Schiff has a very strong advantage but it’s not prohibitive. He’s clearly the front-runner, but he shouldn’t be taking anything for granted.”

The three House colleagues are the most prominent Democrats among the 18 candidates that have filed papers to run for the seat. On the other hand, Eric Early is the best-known Republican in the race, but he only joined the race last week, so he does not have to file a fundraising disclosure until July.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.

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