Adam Schiff, D-CA, will make the elimination of the Senate filibuster his “priority no. If he wins in 2024, Adam Schiff (D-CA) will make abolishing the Senate filibuster “priority No.

Schiff stated in an interview with Newsweek on Tuesday that his goal was to eliminate the filibuster in order to advance the liberal agenda in areas like abortion and climate changes. This move has been dismissed by several centrist Senate Democrats such as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, along with Kyrsten Sienema, I-AZ, who claim that the filibuster encourages bipartisanship.

A filibuster in the Senate is a procedural measure that prevents legislation to advance unless 60 votes are received, as opposed to a simple majority. It only takes 50 votes to end it. However, given the opposition of several senators who are centrists, it may be difficult to achieve a simple majority.

If Schiff can eliminate the filibuster he will risk that Democrats and Republicans constantly undo one another’s policy measures. For example, a ban on abortions nationwide versus universal protections for abortions or the use of green energy versus fossil-fuel protections.

The California congressman stated, “I’d rather see dramatic changes in the policy of the parties than the gridlock that we currently have.”

According to polls, polarized policies from either side are unpopular. Schiff, however, believes that even if Democrats lost the Senate to Republicans in the next election, GOP lawmakers would take a conservative hard-line approach to policy, which will turn voters against the party.

Schiff is convinced that voters will prefer to vote for sweeping Democratic policies over sweeping Republican ones.

“It allows us to advance aggressively,” Schiff said. If the Republicans want to push the country backwards, they’ll have the smallest majority in history. “I am comfortable with this kind of accountability.”

If elected as a Senator and the filibuster was abolished by the Senate, Schiff said that he would try to pass several bills which would have likely died on arrival because of the filibuster.

Schiff stated that if we are successful in eliminating the filibuster, we will be able to reestablish reproductive rights, protect our democracy and attack climate change more aggressively than we have done over the past few years.

Schiff dismissed concerns that he might have trouble getting into the Senate, or continuing his work in Congress after Republicans voted him to censure over his investigation of then-President Donald Trump’s Russia and his Russia probe. He claimed that despite the heated battle between him and some Republican leaders in Congress, Congress can still “do things on a partisan basis.”

He hinted at the fact that, behind closed doors and in private, things aren’t quite as dramatic as they appear.

Schiff said, “Republicans have privately apologized to me and admitted to the absurdity of their actions, including the censure. So no, I do not view it as a hindrance to getting things done.”

California’s Senate race will be the most high-profile campaign within the party in the 2024 cycle. California’s primary election system only allows the two top candidates, regardless of their party affiliation, to advance to the November 2024 general election.

Schiff’s war chest for his campaign is much larger than those of his opponents, Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter. Recent polls show that Porter has a slight advantage, with 19% over Schiff’s 16%.