Rep. Adam Schiff maintains a large lead in the race to represent California in the U.S. Senate, a new poll released Thursday shows.
Steve Garvey, former baseball star and the Republican candidate for the Golden State’s open Senate seat on the November ballot, was polling behind the Southern California Democrat by 20 points in the latest poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, which shows 33% of likely voters favoring him. Schiff, who won the March primary, had support from 53% of likely voters.
Schiff’s 20 points lead is an increase from the last poll from Berkeley IGS conducted in February, which showed Schiff with a 15 point lead.
Garvey’s drop in the polls is a counterpoint to his campaign’s strong showing in the latest fundraising totals, where he outraised Schiff. Garvey’s campaign reported raising over $5.4 million in the second quarter of 2024, while Schiff’s campaign raised $4.2 million during the same period.
The poll’s authors found that likely voters fall largely along party lines, with about nine out of 10 Republicans preferring Garvey, and 84% of Democrats preferring Schiff. Independent voters in the state are also leaning toward Schiff. Among voters not affiliated with the two major parties, more than half said they would vote for Schiff, with just a quarter preferring Garvey.
Berkeley IGS conducted the poll online from July 31 to August 11, in both English and Spanish. They asked questions to 3,765 Californians considered likely to vote in the state’s November 2024 general election.
Originally Published: