Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff, who has gained national attention as a foil of former President Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he is running for the U.S. Senate.
In a video posted on social media, Schiff highlighted his high-profile investigations of the Trump White House. He served as the lead House prosecutor in the 45th president’s first impeachment trial.
“I wish I could say the threat of MAGA extremists is over,” Schiff said in the video. “It is not. Today’s Republican Party is gutting the middle class, threatening our democracy. They aren’t going to stop. We have to stop them.”
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The California congressman’s announcement comes after Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked him from their sitting on the House Intelligence Committee, which Mr. Schiff previously chaired. He also served on the committee that investigated the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
In an interview with NBC4 Los Angeles, Schiff said he relished the idea of being McCarthy’s home state senator.
“McCarthy wanted to remove me from the committee because I’ve been effective at holding him accountable and holding his boss down in Mar-a-Lago accountable… they view me as a threat,” Schiff said.
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Schiff is seeking to replace incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has yet to indicate if she will seek re-election. Feinstein, who has held the seat since 1992, is 89 and has faced questions regarding her fitness to serve another six-year term.
Schiff, 62, is in his 11th term in the House of Representatives. He was first elected to Congress in 2001.
Another Southern California lawmaker, Rep. Katie Porter (D, Irvine) jumped in the race earlier this month. Representative Barbara Lee (D, Oakland) told members of the Congressional Black Caucus that she intends to run, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D, Santa Clara) is reportedly considering running as well.
Governor Gavin Newsom has said that he will appoint a Black woman to Feinstein’s seat if she for some reason fails to finish her term.
“I trust voters to make the decision for themselves of what is most important to them at this pivotal point in history,” Schiff said in response.
Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this story.
