U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was nearly booed off the stage by pro-Palestine protesters during his Senate primary victory speech on Tuesday.
Schiff emerged victorious in a crowded field that included U.S. Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, as well as retired baseball star Steve Garvey, who is running as a Republican.
While addressing supporters in his victory speech on Tuesday evening, Schiff was nearly booed off the stage by pro-Palestine protesters. The longtime congressman was forced to pause his speech as a sizable group of protesters chanted “ceasefire now,” representing a continuation of inter-party strife over the conflict in Gaza.
The progressive wing of the party have repeatedly criticized Biden and other Democrat leaders over their inability to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas. Many leftists — including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) — have accused Biden of supporting genocide and have refused to pledge their support for November.
“We are so lucky, so lucky to live in a democracy where we all have the right to protest,” Schiff said as the activists continued to chant. The group of supporters directly behind Schiff attempted to chant “Adam, Adam” in response, though they were largely drowned out by the pro-Palestine contingent.
Security could be seen escorting some of the activists out, though they were spread throughout the crowd, making it impossible for security to catch them all.
Schiff briefly attempted to talk over the crowd once again before ending his remarks prematurely.
Schiff’s campaign spent more than $12 million in ads portraying Garvey as a “MAGA extremist” who is “too conservative for California,” a strategy geared towards eliminating the possibility of a runoff election with one of his fellow Democrats in November. Groups allied with Schiff spent an additional $7 million on ads focusing on Garvey, which increased his name recognition in the state and made him popular with Republican voters, analysts have said.
Schiff is widely expected to defeat Garvey in the November runoff given the state’s heavily Democratic lean. Some Democrats have expressed frustration with Schiff’s strategy, however, fearing that the decision to elevate Garvey will hurt down-ballot Democrats across the state in November.
