California’s four front-running candidates for the U.S. Senate will meet on the debate stage on Tuesday to make their final pitch for why voters should support them on March 5.
This is the third and final debate in the run-up to the primary election and could help determine which two candidates make it onto the November Ballot — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) or Republican candidate and former Dodger Steve Garvey. They are running to fill the former seat of Dianne Feinstein, who died age 90 in September 2023 after serving in the Senate for 31 years.
The hourlong face-off will take place in Los Angeles at 6 p.m. and be broadcast live on NBC4 and Telemundo 52. It will also be streamed on NBCLA’s Facebook and YouTube and Telemundo 52’s Facebook and YouTube.
The latest polling shows Schiff leading with 25% of the vote, Porter and Garvey tied in second with 15% each and Lee trailing with 7%.
The debate could provide a critical opportunity for Porter or Garvey to break free of their deadlock and establish themselves as the clear challenger to Schiff.
During the first two debates the candidates discussed the hot-button issues of housing, homelessness, healthcare, the economy immigration and the Israel-Hamas war.
While the Democratic candidates have all taken swipes at Garvey’s conservative agenda, the debates were largely civil as candidates directed their energy into promoting their platform as opposed to attacking their opponents.
Time will tell whether the candidate’s composure holds on Tuesday with pressure of the imminent primary breathing down their necks.