What to Know
- Former California Rep. Adam Schiff was sworn in to the Senate after winning a Nov. 5 election contest against former Dodger Steve Garvey.
- The Southern California politician has served in the House of Representatives since 2001.
- Schiff will take over from Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to fill the last weeks of the term following the death of Dianne Feinstein.
- The Burbank Democrat's full six-year Senate term begins in January after more than two decades in the House of Representatives.
Former California Rep. Adam Schiff became the state's newest senator Monday when he was sworn in at a Capitol Hill ceremony.
Schiff, 64, takes the reins from Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to fill the last weeks of the term following the death of Dianne Feinstein in September 2023. Butler did not contests the seat in the Nov. 5 election, which saw Schiff defeat Republican challenger and former Dodger Steve Garvey.
Schiff's full six-year term begins in January.
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The swearing in Monday afternoon on the floor of the U.S. Senate was conducted by Vice President and former California Senator Kamala Harris. Schiff will be sworn in again Jan. 3 for the full term.
"I'm really looking forward to serving you in the U.S. Senate, and I want to thank the people all over California for that opportunity," Schiff wrote in a statement. "We have so much to do.
"I'm looking forward to delivering for the people of the great state of California."
The Southern California politician has served in the House of Representatives since 2001 and became one of the body's fiercest critics of President-elect Donald Trump. He stood on the same Senate floor five years ago as a House impeachment manager and pleaded with lawmakers to remove Trump from office over his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The effort failed in the Republican-led Senate and Trump was acquitted. Trump prevailed in a second impeachment effort a year later after his supporters raided the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn his defeated in the 2020 election.
This time around, Schiff will be part of the minority in Congress.
In a Fox interview before the election, Trump called the Burbank congressman part of the "enemy from within." Schiff has waved off questions about whether he was concerned that Trump would use the executive branch for retribution.
"You have to take any would be despot at their word," Schiff said in an October interview for NBCLA's NewsConference. "All of his enemies -- (Barack) Obama, Joe Biden, (Nancy) Pelosi – any who stand up to him he considers his enemy."
In a social media post Monday, Schiff sounded a similar theme.
"There’s an important goal behind Trump’s threats," he said. "It's not just about retribution. It's about sending a message to anyone who would dare to hold him to account."
Schiff, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, told the Associated Press that he hoping to be known for his bipartisanship after campaigning in Republican strongholds in California and learning more about rural issues.
"I think being there and letting folks get to know me, kick the tires a bit, helps overcome some of the sort of Fox News stereotypes,” Schiff said in an interview with the AP.
Among his first jobs in his role as senator, Schiff will vote on Trump's cabinet nominees. Last week in a social media post, he described FBI director nominee Kash Patel, a former GOP staffer on the House intelligence panel, as "more suited as internet troll than FBI Director."
In the AP interview, Schiff said the Senate "is a very different place culturally than the House." He said he has tried to make inroads with some Republican members, including Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana. The two members from wildfire-prone states have spoken about collaborating on related legislation that might help their states.
Schiff appeared to earn a degree of respect from some veteran Senate Republicans during the 2020 presidential impeachment trial. After Day 1 of arguments, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was spotted shaking hands with the Democrat. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the incoming Senate majority leader, said at the time that Schiff "was passionate and his case has been well articulated." "I don’t think it was a hurtful introduction," Schiff told the AP.
In January, California's 30th Congressional District that was represented by Schiff will be taken over by Rep.-elect Laura Friedman. The former assemblywoman defeated Republican Alex Balekian in the November election.
Butler was the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the Senate, the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress, and the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. She delivered a speech on the Senate floor in her departing remarks.
"As I end this journey as the junior senator representing 40 million Californians, it is a day that I want to thank them and thank Governor Newsom for giving me the honor and privilege of serving our great state," Butler said.
