After his recent Senate campaign announcement, Representative Schiff spoke at a meet-and-greet hosted by the Davis College Democrats on Feb. 14
By ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL — city@theaggie.org
Adam Schiff, the Democratic congressperson who represents California’s 30th District (CA-30), attended a meet-and-greet hosted by the Davis College Democrats at the International House (I-House) on Feb. 14. Rep. Schiff will be running to represent California in the Senate, vying for the seat that has been held by Senator Dianne Feinstein for more than 30 years. The event came a day after Rep. Feinstein announced her retirement after her term concludes in 2025.
Schiff, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee during the two impeachment trials for former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6. insurrection at the Capitol, talked about how fragile democracy in the U.S. has become.
“It may seem self-evident now, but at the time it was a shocking conclusion to reach,” Schiff said. “That the predominant threat to our country, for the first time, came from within. Why we have been vulnerable to a demagogue in this country and why we have seen a rise in autocracy in other parts of the world is that there has been a real revolution in the nature of our economy, and the global economy. The workplace is being transformed, and millions of people are feeling a profound sense of economic anxiety, people in the middle class are desperately worried, and so many working-class families are worried whether they will ever come up.”
The meet-and-greet happened two days after a mass shooting at the East Lansing campus of Michigan State University. Emily Ault, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action in Davis, attended the event to show her support for Schiff, who she said has demonstrated that he is a ‘strong gun sense’ candidate.
“With him being elected, I hope he revisits H.R.8 — that is the law that requires new background checks to be established —and that he continues to advocate for stronger gun laws to prevent easy access,” Ault said. “He has shown that he wants to consider banning AR-15s, banning assault weapons and he has been such a strong supporter of common-sense gun legislation.”
Nancy Simpon, another event attendee, shared a similar sentiment. Simpson said Schiff should continue to advocate for gun control reform, following in Sen. Feinstein’s footsteps of implementing federal gun control.
“With the mass shooting on the 13th, I am hoping with him being in the Senate, that the Senate becomes involved in regulating guns,” Simpson said. “Especially with him taking Senator Feinstein’s place, who was really a great pioneer in the area of gun control.”
Steven Tham, a student at UC Davis, said that after receiving a flier for the meet-and-greet event, they were curious to see what Schiff would have to say.
“If he was elected, I would like for him to invest in all the undergraduate talent and to strengthen freedom of speech,” Tham said. “And I would say that another one would be to support and update hate-crime legislation.”
Both Democratic and Republican candidates for the 2024 election have already declared candidacy for Feinstein’s seat, or at least begun filling out the necessary paperwork to do so. Aside from Rep. Schiff, Democrat Rep. Katie Porter (CA-47) has declared her candidacy and Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12) is expected to announce her bid this month. Republican Denice Gary-Pandol has announced her candidacy, and both Peter Leiu and Barack Mandela are expected to finish the necessary paperwork to announce shortly as well.
The 2024 United States Senate election is scheduled for Nov. 5, 2024, and will be the second open Senate race in the state of California in more than 30 years.
Written By: Anthony W. Zammikiel — city@theaggie.org
