LOS ANGELES — Rep. Adam B. Schiff, a decadeslong fixture in San Fernando Valley politics who rose to national prominence as a top Democratic foe to then-President Trump, announced Thursday that he is joining a contest for U.S. Senate that is quickly shaping up to be highly competitive.
A mild-mannered former prosecutor, Schiff initially built a profile in the House as a moderate Democrat focused on foreign policy and national security. The Trump era, however, thrust him into the spotlight, as he led the first impeachment of the then-president and served on the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack that culminated in referring former President Donald Trump to the Justice Department for criminal investigation.
“The Senate is where many of these fights over the future of our democracy take place,” Schiff said in an interview prior to his campaign launch. “Some of Donald Trump’s biggest enablers are in the Senate. And I think that is where I can most effectively champion our democratic institutions.”
