Democrats' Gloves Come Off In Feisty California Senate Debate

The sleepy race for U.S. Senate in California jolted awake on Monday evening as the candidates sparred for the first time on stage in Los Angeles, putting on display sharp divisions over congressional spending, money in politics, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Although the three House Democrats in the race ― Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee ― agree on many issues, they diverged perhaps most sharply on the question of a cease-fire in the war raging in the Middle East.

Lee, a longtime progressive critic of U.S. interventions in the region, reiterated the need for an immediate cease-fire and criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

“Killing 25,000 civilians ― it’s catastrophic, and it will never lead to peace for the Israelis, nor the Palestinians,” Lee said, warning about the dangers of a broader war escalating in the Middle East.

The more establishment-aligned Schiff agreed on the need to shield Palestinian civilians but largely backed Israel’s response against Hamas. “I don’t know how you can ask any nation to support a cease-fire when their people are being held by a terrorist organization,” he said, referring to the Israel hostages still held by Hamas.

Porter, meanwhile, took a more middle-of-the-road approach, arguing that conditions need to be met before a cease-fire is implemented, including the release of hostages.

“Cease-fire is not a magic word,” the progressive congresswoman said. “You can’t say it and make it so. But we have to push as the United States as a world leader for us to get to a cease-fire.”

The differences between the three candidates mirror shifting attitudes within the Democratic Party to Israel’s military campaign ― which was