Adam Schiff, a leading supporter of the entertainment industry in Congress, was elected to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, according to projections from the Associated Press.
The Associated Press called the race as soon as voting ended in California at 8 p.m. Pacific time.
Schiff is best known nationally as former President Trump’s chief opponent and one of the leaders of his first impeachment five years ago. President Trump has continued a series of attacks on “Shifty Schiff” at recent rallies, mocking his appearance and calling him a “pencil neck.”
But he’s also been an ally of Hollywood for more than 24 years as a Burbank-area lawmaker. He recently called for support for federal incentives to prevent film and television production from going overseas.
Mr. Schiff walked the picket line during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strike. During the pandemic, he pushed for special unemployment benefits for freelancers, noting it would help Hollywood’s gig-based workforce. He is also proposing legislation that would require transparency of datasets used to train artificial intelligence, a top priority for entertainment unions.
Schiff beat Republican Steve Garvey, a former first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the 1970s and ’80s.
Schiff will take over the seat previously held by Dianne Feinstein, who died in 2023 after a 30-year term. He replaces Sen. LaFonza Butler, who was appointed by the governor to temporarily fill the vacancy.
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With strong support from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Schiff became the top Democrat in the March primary, defeating Representatives Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Given that the outcome in deep-blue California was all but certain, he has spent much of the last few weeks supporting Democratic Senate candidates in other states, spending millions of dollars on other campaigns. Collected.
As a young prosecutor in the 1990s, Schiff tried his hand at screenwriting before turning to politics. Among his campaign’s many supporters were the International Union of Theatrical Stage Employees and WGA West.
