Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna eliminated himself from consideration within the race to succeed longtime California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Sunday morning, opting as an alternative to aspect with one other Bay Space consultant in one of the vital closely-watched Senate battles in years.
Khanna advised CNN’s Jake Tapper on the “State of the Union” present that he deliberate to endorse East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee and work as her marketing campaign co-chair within the 2024 race for Feinstein’s seat.
“I've concluded that regardless of numerous enthusiasm from Bernie (Sanders) people, one of the best place, essentially the most thrilling place, the motion place, for me to function a progressive is within the Home of Representatives,” Khanna mentioned on this system, including that “we want a powerful anti-war senator, and she is going to play that function.”
The transfer begins to crystalize a once-in-a-generation political battle to succeed Feinstein, who introduced her retirement final month after having served greater than 30 years within the Senate. Whereas Lee ranks as essentially the most outstanding Northern California politician to announce a marketing campaign for the seat, she faces stiff competitors from two representatives primarily based in Southern California: Reps. Adam Schiff of Los Angeles and Katie Porter of Irvine.
Whereas Khanna on Sunday mentioned he has “respect” for Schiff and Porter, he sought to highlight Lee’s 25-year file in Congress and her “distinctive voice” whereas endorsing her bid for the Senate.
“She was the lone vote in opposition to the infinite warfare in Afghanistan. She stood up so strongly in opposition to the warfare in Iraq. She labored with me in stopping — attempting to cease — the warfare in Yemen and the Warfare Powers Decision,” Khanna advised Tapper. “And albeit, Jake, illustration issues. We don’t have a single African American lady in america Senate. She would fill that function. She’ll be the one candidate from Northern California and he or she’s going to consolidate numerous progressives.
“The opposite two are formidable candidates. However I believe Barbara Lee goes to be very, very sturdy.”
The transfer indicators consolidating help within the Bay Space for Lee, who has served in Congress since 1998 and has lengthy been seen as one of the vital progressive members of the Democratic caucus. She was the one member of Congress to vote in opposition to the usage of army power after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults, and has since turn into the highest-ranking Black lady appointed to Home Democratic management.
Khanna’s determination additionally highlights the work remaining for him to spice up his title recognition elsewhere within the state – whilst he wields appreciable sway amongst Bay Space progressives and throughout Democratic fundraising circles, mentioned Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego.
“It is a signal of Northern California progressives coalescing round Barbara Lee’s candidacy,” Kousser mentioned. “And possibly a recognition that Ro Khanna’s statewide profile among the many common voter doesn’t but match his ambitions.”
“He’s definitely somebody with numerous political promise,” Kousser added. “However this can be a recognition that it’s not but his time to run for a stateside, top-of-the-ticket seat.”
Khanna’s endorsement Sunday comes as Lee faces an uphill climb to the Senate seat. Schiff garnered an outsized variety of endorsements shortly after asserting his marketing campaign, together with from Rep. Nancy Pelosi and from Leon Panetta, who hung out as secretary of the Division of Protection and as director of the CIA.
A latest Berkeley Institute of Authorities Research ballot of registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters confirmed Lee dealing with an early drawback in opposition to Schiff and Porter.
Twenty-two % of respondents backed Schiff, whereas 20% backed Porter. In distinction, Lee garnered help from 6% of respondents, whereas 4% of respondents backed Khanna.
Nonetheless, the UC Berkeley IGS ballot additionally confirmed fertile floor for every candidate amongst undecided voters. The most important share of respondents — 39% — mentioned that they had but to decide about who to help within the race. One other 8% mentioned they deliberate to help another person.
That Schiff and Porter have fared so nicely early within the race speaks to the evolving nature of politics in a hyper-partisan panorama, Kousser mentioned. Those that tackle the highest-profile Republicans – a lot as Schiff has in serving to oversee impeachment proceedings in opposition to former President Donald Trump – can see their political fortunes skyrocket the quickest.
“That is much less about their regional status than it's about the truth that the extreme concentrate on politics – and particularly partisan politics – during the last a number of years has allowed individuals, particularly Donald Trump’s harshest critics, to turn into political celebrities in their very own proper.”
Regardless of Lee being an vital progressive chief for many years, “they leap-frogged her political superstar, due to simply the extreme concentrate on partisan battles that we’ve seen lately,” Kousser mentioned.
The potential of Khanna eradicating himself from the race did little to alter the results of final month’s UC Berkeley IGS ballot. Lee’s help grew a pair share factors to eight%, whereas Schiff’s help nudged up barely to 23%. Porter remained regular at 20%, whereas the share of people that most popular a unique candidate rose barely to 10%.
Maybe most tellingly, the quantity of people that remained undecided held at 39% — highlighting the chance that Lee might has in capturing extra help in a race that continues to be in its infancy. That’s notably true given Lee’s huge community of help throughout the Bay Space and Northern California, Kousser mentioned.
“I believe Ro Khanna hitching himself to her marketing campaign reveals that she does have a reliable shot at telling her story and capturing that vast variety of undecided voters,” he mentioned.