Rep. Adam B. Schiff is a long-standing fixture in San Fernando Valley politics and rose to national prominence by being a top Democratic foe of then-President Trump. He announced Thursday that he will be entering a race for the U.S. Senate. The contest is rapidly shaping up to become highly competitive.

Schiff was a mild-mannered ex-prosecutor. He initially established a reputation in the House as a moderate Democrat who focused on national security and foreign policy. Trump’s era brought him to prominence. He led the impeachment proceedings against the president and was a member of the congressional panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. This culminated in Trump being referred to the Justice Department for criminal investigation.

Schiff stated that the Senate is where most of these fights for democracy’s future take place in an interview before his campaign launch. “The Senate is where Donald Trump’s greatest enablers are located. That is where I feel I can best advocate for our democratic institutions.

His campaign will inject new fundraising and political heft in the race for Senate seat currently occupied By Sen. Dianne Feinstein (a San Francisco Democrat who held this office for 30+ years).

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is a rising star of the party and has won close victories in Orange County. She was the first major candidate in her Senate candidacy. Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee is a progressive Democrat who has indicated to colleagues that she will also launch a bid. However, she has not made it public. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna from Fremont has also expressed interest in running.

Although the race to Feinstein’s seat is well underway, Senator Feinstein, 89, has not yet indicated whether she will seek reelection next. Many observers believe she won’t run for another six year term, despite some doubts about her ability to keep that position.

Schiff stated that he has a tremendous respect for her, and more than just respect, admiration and affection. He also said that he wouldn’t have entered the race without first informing her. He stated that they had spoken the day before he made his announcement.

He said, “I believe she will make her own decisions about an announcement when it feels right for her to do so.” “She has earned this right and I respect her for doing that when she feels it is appropriate.”

Feinstein previously stated to The Times that she would soon disclose her plans to The Times, “probably by spring.”

Republicans are having difficulty finding candidates for state office. The Democratic candidates, who generally share the same ideology, will be the most competitive.

Kimberly Nalder from Sacramento State University, a political scientist, said that “since they mostly fall in line with regard to policy, it will be a race more based on personality and brand.”

She cited Lee’s standing as the only vote in Congress against the invasion in Afghanistan in 2001. This “makes her an hero to the right,” Nalder stated. However, it also reflects the current position of the majority in the country.

Porter of Irvine has emerged as an anticorruption advocate with a populist streak. She also uses a whiteboard and a whiteboard to her trademark prop.

Schiff’s lawyerly demeanor can now be best associated with Trump’s impeachments hearings and the Jan. 6-investigation.

Nalder stated, “We saw that democracy was a major issue for many voters in 2022.” He was certainly a visible defender for democracy at those hearings, for all those who paid attention.

Schiff agreed with that assessment and told The Times that his “at the heart of these fights for democracy preservation” position set him apart from his rivals. He said that those fights were also interlinked with the concerns of voters about the economy.

Schiff stated that “the fact that the economy isn’t working for millions Americans who have witnessed their quality of living decline… has led people to be open to a demagogue who makes promises that he alone can fix it.” He also mentioned climate change as a main campaign focus.

His campaign video for kickoff flaunts the anti-endorsements of prominent right-wingers like Trump. He is shown calling Trump derisively “Little Pencil Neck” and Tucker Carlson, Fox News’s Fox News personality, “unfit to hold office.”

Schiff’s record of being a chief Trump antagonist earned him a memoir entitled “Midnight in Washington” that he wrote. He also turned the fame into a huge campaign cash juggernaut. As of November’s end, he had more than $20million in his bank account. This put him ahead of his Senate rivals. A spokesperson for his campaign stated that he will not accept donations from corporate political actions committees.

Porter reminded us Thursday that she has held this stance for a long time.

“In the race to California’s U.S. Senate Seat, I’m proud that I’m the only candidate who has not taken a dime from corporate PAC money,” said a Porter campaign email shortly after Schiff’s announcement.

Porter’s fundraising skills are also impressive, bringing in over $25 million for her last congressional race. She spent heavily in her last campaign to defeat her Republican challenger and left her with $7.7million in the bank.

Lee, who is well-respected in her deep-blue Oakland neighborhood, spent more than $2million in her last campaign, and left with less than $55,000.

Schiff, 62 years old, will face a competitive race for the statewide nomination.

Schiff was born in Massachusetts, and raised in Arizona and California. He moved to Los Angeles to work as a federal judge’s clerk after law school. He was a U.S. Attorney’s deputy and successfully prosecuted Richard Miller. This was the first FBI agent to face espionage charges.

Then he tried to jump to elected office. He was unsuccessful in his 1994 run for the state Assembly, but he did win a seat in the GOP-controlled state Senate two years later.

Although now a Democratic stronghold the intersection of San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, which encompass Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, was more friendly territory for Republicans in 2000 when Schiff ran for Congress. He faced GOP Rep. James Rogan who had defeated Schiff six years prior for an Assembly seat, and was a key figure in the Republican impeachment proceedings against President Clinton.

The hotly contested campaign saw Schiff win, breaking all spending records in House races. He has won reelection every time by margins of between 30 and 50 points.

The first-term congressman was about to start work on September 11, 2001, when the World Trident plane crashed into the World Trident.