Progressives Trade Blame Ahead Of Likely Defeat In California Senate Primary

Barring a significant upset, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former Major League Baseball star, are set to emerge from California’s top two “jungle” primaries on Tuesday as the finalists for the open U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The situation has left progressives nationally and in California frustrated, wondering how they will end up on the outside looking in at a Senate race in one of the nation’s bluest states. And the answer, to many, comes down to a long-standing failure of the left to consolidate around a single candidate in contested primaries.

“In race after race after race, the left is penalized for lack of consolidation while more moderate Democrats end up having a lane all to themselves,” said Morris Katz, a progressive Democratic ad maker who is neutral in the California primary.