Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas is endorsing Rep. Adam Schiff in California’s U.S. Senate race
California politics, elections 2024, homepage news
Benjamin OrescesNovember 2, 2023
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas on Thursday endorsed Rep. Adam
b.
Schiff in California’s contentious 2024 U.S. Senate race, adding to the Burbank congressman’s support from influential California Democrats as the March primary approaches.
Rivas said he thought Schiff was best positioned to lead on addressing the high cost of living, homelessness and the climate crisis, issues of critical importance to voters in his Central Coast district. The speaker praised the other top Democrats in the race, Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland, but said he felt a special affinity for Schiff.
“He is a great listener and has always been so committed to the issues that matter most to our region and to the communities I represent,” said Rivas (D-Hollister). “It’s not that Porter or Lee aren’t, but I just have a connection with Adam.”
In a written statement, Schiff said he was humbled by Rivas’ support, adding that “Robert has shown remarkable leadership in the State Assembly on the most pressing issues facing Californians, from addressing the fentanyl crisis to improving the housing affordability to expanding worker protections.”
“My top priority in this race is fighting for an economy that works for everyone, and few people know what that takes better than Robert,” Schiff said.
Rivas assumed the chairmanship in June after a lengthy and politically divisive power struggle with previous Assembly leader Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood).
Rivas and Schiff first met last winter at an event hosted by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who supports Schiff, and the two hit it off.
“The money we send as a state should come back to California, and Adam feels strongly about that,” Rivas said.
T
he Times.
Although he has only been employed for five years
the meeting
and has no statewide profile, Rivas is the highest
–
ranking elected Latino in California to support Schiff in the race.
Democratic
Senator Alex Padilla did not endorse it
a preferred candidate to join him in the Senate
.
Lee has received the support of state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and state Director of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
who is Afro-Latino
.
Recent polls of registered Latino voters show their support is very much up for grabs. In a survey of 900 registered voters last month by the Latino Community Foundation and BSP Research, 40% of respondents said they had not yet decided on a Senate candidate. Schiff and Porter were the two with the most support, at 12% and 10% respectively.
Rivas has close ties to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, both of whom are major Schiff supporters. This week, the Schiff campaign released its first digital ad, featuring Pelosi.
“The fact that almost more than half of the California delegation supported Adam says something,” Rivas said.
Twenty-two of the state’s forty Democratic House members have endorsed Schiff. A few have endorsed Lee or endorsed both Lee and Schiff.
This week, first-term Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) announced his support for Porter. He became the first member of the delegation to endorse her, saying in a statement: “She is known for speaking truth to power and asking the tough questions that others are afraid to ask.”
Before winning Rivas’ support, Schiff this week lost the support of Burbank Mayor Konstantine Anthony, who announced he was withdrawing his approval from the longtime Burbank resident until Schiff called for a ceasefire in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
This came after protesters stormed Schiff’s district office last week to express their anger over the ongoing bombings in Israel
in which more than 8,400 people died
in Gaza in the aftermath of a Hamas attack on Israel early last month that reportedly killed around 1,400 people.
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Schiff, who is Jewish, said the United States should be unequivocal in its support for Israel, contrasting itself with Lee, who has called for a ceasefire.
Porter has charted a middle path, saying Israel should not repeat the mistakes the US made after September 11, and blames US policymakers for allowing Iran to flourish as a sponsor of Hamas.

Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.