In the race to replace Dianne Feinstein in the Senate, the three leading Democratic candidates call themselves progressives, hold nearly identical positions on most major policy issues, and boast remarkably similar congressional voting records.

But Wednesday night votes 314-117 on president

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Biden and speaker Kevin McCarthy’s deal to raise the debt ceiling created a wedge issue that divided the trio, deepening their months-long debate about their progressive bonafides.

Rep. Burbank’s Adam Schiff was the only Democratic Senate candidate to join 164

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Democrats and 149 Republicans voted to approve the package, which suspended the country’s borrowing limit until 2025 and imposed cuts to certain federal programs popular among Democrats.

Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine and Rep. Oakland’s Barbara Lee, meanwhile, along with 44 other Democrats voted against the proposal, claiming the president and his negotiators should not have allowed Republicans to advance their policy agendas in the face of a potential economic crisis. disaster. In addition to opposing what they characterized as a “hostage-taking” of the debt ceiling, Democrats who voted against the bill criticized measures that make it easier for energy projects to pass and add new job requirements to safety net programs such as SNAP, also known as food stamps.

Schiff, who describes himself as progressive but is not a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said he voted for the McCarthy-Biden package for the same reason as most other Democrats: to avoid catastrophic bankruptcy.

A spokesman for Schiff stressed that voting for the bill does not make Schiff any less progressive than his peers. A majority of the Congressional Progressive Caucus voted in favor of the measure, with the country’s largest union federation, AFL-CIO, giving its approval, the spokesman noted.

But in a tight race where candidates with similarities make it difficult to stand out, every vote can send a signal.

Schiff insists he is progressive like Lee and Porter, but says his pragmatism and vast experience have allowed him to achieve more tangible victories.

The race comes down to a choice of results or rhetoric, Schiff told The Times in an interview. My constituents and Californians want results. They want their congressmen to create jobs, not destroy them. And a bankruptcy would have just been devastating.

But for members of the San Jose chapter of Indivisible, a progressive group founded afterward

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Donald Trump was elected

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Schiff’s voice was a black mark, according to Deborah Garvey, a member of the chapter’s leadership team.

I would support a progressive Democrat over a corporate, more moderate Democrat, Garvey said. As much as I like Adam Schiff, I wouldn’t vote for him.

Garvey said her group believes Democrats should not have negotiated the debt ceiling with Republicans. While the department has not approved a candidate, she said Wednesday night’s vote was confirmation that Schiff was out of the running.

Patti Crane, a member of the Indivisible South Bay LA chapter, said her caucus includes supporters of each candidate and the differences between them have already become apparent. But she didn’t think what she called the House Republican stunt would have much impact on how Californians vote in the March primary. She noted that many voters already saw Schiff as less progressive than Lee and Porter.

Schiff told The Times he doesn’t believe Californians are overly concerned about labels. They feel strongly, he said, that you can’t be progressive unless you’re willing to move forward and get things done.

The three representatives have different backgrounds. Schiff became known nationally as the lead prosecutor in former President Trump’s first impeachment trial; Lee rose to prominence as the single voice against the measure authorizing President George W. Bush to use military force after the September 11 attacks; Porter is known for pulling out charts and graphs on the house floor and raising her in rural Iowa. But they all identify as progressive, and they all try to convince voters that their particular taste of progressivism is superior.

For Crane, that distinction doesn’t stem from their votes on the debt ceiling.

As the first season progresses, we’ll see more nuanced differences, Crane said. But I trust Californians. I don’t think we need stunts to figure that out. Californians are too wise to fall for that.

Los Angeles East Area Progressive Democrats president Hans Johnson, who has not yet endorsed a candidate, agreed. It could provide ammunition for people who want to throw salvos at Adam Schiff on the issue, he said. But in the end, I don’t think it’s going to be a very important issue in people’s decision as to who to choose for the open Senate seat.

Johnson said his organization had a long-standing relationship with Schiff, who has close ties to the Los Angeles County Democrats after representing them for decades in Sacramento and Washington, DC. He noted that Schiff sends club members birthday wishes and that the Burbank native is technically a member of his group. The population center will be at the center of the primary, so courting Democratic clubs like the Johnsons is essential.

The club members are less familiar with the other two candidates, he said.

The congressional vote, Johnson said, reflects Adam’s longstanding adherence to a sense of pragmatism and responsibility.

I think our members probably admire that vote, Johnson added, because of the context and awareness of the stakes.

Porter’s office declined to comment on how the congressman’s vote affected race. In a statement voted after members of the House, Porter slammed the deal for containing concessions to the oil industry, which she says has too much influence in Washington.

Californians know that avoiding defaults and protecting our environment are non-negotiable. Today’s vote erroneously contrasts these two values, Porter wrote. This legislation contains giveaway after giveaway to Big Oil. I can’t stand California being locked into years of retarded thinking about our economy and our environment.

Lee said her no vote had less to do with a political calculation associated with seeking a senior position and more to do with her aversion to the cuts included in the deal.

In a statement to The Times on Thursday, the congressman said she does not vote based on political campaigns.

This vote was about standing up to extreme MAGA Republicans who are holding our economy hostage and standing up for my constituents and the 20 million Californians who are one paycheck away from poverty, Lee wrote. That’s what I’ve done my whole career and what I’m going to do in the US Senate.

All three candidates are racing to raise money ahead of the March primary, with Schiff and Porter taking huge wins in what could become the most expensive Senate race in US history. The next indicator of each candidate’s fundraising process comes in July, when their campaigns report Q2 numbers.