Adam Schiff

Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since January 2025. A Democrat, he spent more than two decades in the House of Representatives, representing California's 27th and 28th congressional districts from 2001 to 2024. Before his congressional career, he served in the California State Senate from 1996 to 2000 and worked as a federal prosecutor from 1987 to 1993. In the House, Schiff established himself as a leading Democratic voice on national security and intelligence oversight, serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence beginning in 2015 and chairing it from 2019 to 2023. He is best known nationally for serving as the lead impeachment manager during the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in January 2020. In 2024, Schiff won California's open Senate seat, defeating fellow Democrats Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in the primary and Republican Steve Garvey in the general election. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to the Senate on December 9, 2024, to allow him to begin accruing seniority prior to the commencement of his full elected term. He succeeded appointed senator Laphonza Butler, who had herself succeeded the late Dianne Feinstein, and now serves alongside senior senator Alex Padilla.

Early Life

Adam Bennett Schiff was born on June 22, 1960, in Framingham, Massachusetts. His family later relocated to California, where he would build his legal and political career. Schiff has described his Massachusetts upbringing as formative to his political worldview, instilling values of civic engagement and public service.

Education

Schiff earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, followed by a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. His legal training at both institutions grounded him in constitutional law and would prove foundational to his subsequent work as a federal prosecutor and later as a legislator focused on oversight and intelligence matters.

Career

Early Legal Career

Following his graduation from Harvard Law School, Schiff joined the United States Department of Justice, serving as an assistant United States attorney in the Central District of California from 1987 to 1993. In that role, he prosecuted federal cases and developed deep expertise in criminal and constitutional law. His courtroom experience shaped his later approach to legislative oversight and his understanding of the boundaries of executive authority.

In 1994, Schiff sought election to the California State Assembly but was unsuccessful in that bid. The defeat did not end his political ambitions, and he continued to pursue elected office.

California State Senate (1996–2000)

Schiff won election to the California State Senate in 1996, capturing the 21st district seat from incumbent Republican Newton Russell. He served from December 2, 1996, to November 30, 2000, building a legislative record in Sacramento that positioned him for a congressional run. During his state Senate tenure, he focused on education, public safety, and local government issues affecting his San Gabriel Valley district. He was succeeded in the state Senate by Jack Scott.

United States House of Representatives (2001–2024)

Election to Congress

In 2000, Schiff challenged Republican incumbent James E. Rogan for the U.S. House seat in California's 27th congressional district. The race became one of the costliest and most closely watched congressional elections in the country that year, drawing national attention and substantial outside spending from both parties. Schiff defeated Rogan and took office on January 3, 2001. His House tenure would ultimately span more than two decades and encompass several rounds of redistricting that shifted the boundaries and designation of his district, including areas of Los Angeles such as Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and West Hollywood.

Reelection Campaigns

Schiff won reelection repeatedly by comfortable margins throughout his House career. He retained his seat with ease in 2010, again in 2012, and in the 2014 midterm elections. His district's reliably Democratic composition and his high profile on national security matters provided a durable electoral foundation.

Foreign Affairs and National Security

Schiff served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and developed a particular focus on international human rights and diplomatic accountability. Armenian genocide recognition became one of his signature legislative causes. He repeatedly introduced legislation calling on the United States to formally recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, drawing on the significant Armenian-American community within his district.

Energy security and oil geopolitics also attracted his legislative attention. In 2007, he engaged with congressional debates over energy policy and international markets. In 2013, he introduced legislation to reform the Authorization for Use of Military Force, the post-September 11 law that had authorized military operations against terrorist organizations. Schiff argued the AUMF had been stretched well beyond its original scope and required legislative updating to reflect changed circumstances.

Press Freedom Legislation

Schiff was a principal supporter of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law. The act was named for Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002, and directed the Secretary of State to expand reporting on press freedom conditions in countries receiving U.S. assistance.

House Intelligence Committee

On January 3, 2015, Schiff joined the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as its ranking member, succeeding Dutch Ruppersberger in that role. He became the senior Democrat on the committee at a time of growing partisan tensions over intelligence oversight. Following the Democratic majority won in the 2018 midterm elections, Schiff assumed the chairmanship on January 3, 2019, succeeding Republican Devin Nunes.

As chairman, Schiff oversaw significant investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and directed the committee's oversight of the Intelligence Community. His tenure was marked by sharp partisan divisions, with Republican members alleging bias in his conduct of the committee's work while Schiff and his Democratic colleagues defended the investigations as legitimate constitutional oversight. He chaired the committee until January 3, 2023, when Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, upon assuming control of the House, removed Schiff from the Intelligence Committee — a move Democrats characterized as political retaliation and Republicans framed as correcting prior abuses. Mike Turner, a Republican from Ohio, was subsequently named chairman.

Benghazi Select Committee

In 2014, Schiff was appointed to the House Select Committee on Benghazi, the special investigative panel formed to examine the September 11, 2012, attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, which killed four Americans including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Schiff was a vocal skeptic of the select committee's necessity, arguing publicly that prior congressional and executive branch investigations had already examined the incident thoroughly and that the new panel represented a politically motivated effort rather than a genuine fact-finding exercise.

Impeachment Manager

Schiff's highest national profile came from his role as lead impeachment manager during the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the United States Senate in January 2020. The House of Representatives had impeached Trump in December 2019 on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — arising from his conduct toward Ukrainian officials, including a request that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announce an investigation of political rival Joe Biden. As lead manager, Schiff presented the House's case before the full Senate in lengthy, nationally televised arguments that dominated media coverage for several days. The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump on both articles, with the vote largely along party lines. Prior to the Trump trial, Schiff had also served as a joint-lead manager in two federal judicial impeachment proceedings, experience that informed his conduct of the presidential trial.

Local Issues and Constituent Services

Beyond his national security focus, Schiff was active on issues directly affecting his Los Angeles-area constituents. In 2012, he announced plans to reintroduce legislation addressing helicopter noise, a persistent quality-of-life concern for residents across the greater Los Angeles area. By September 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration had created a public complaint system for helicopter noise, an outcome Schiff had advocated for through his legislative efforts.

2024 Senate Campaign and Election

When Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the Senate following the death of Dianne Feinstein, announced she would not seek a full term, Schiff entered the race for California's open U.S. Senate seat. Under California's top-two primary system, all candidates regardless of party affiliation ran together, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election.

The primary field included prominent competitors: fellow Democratic House members Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, as well as Republican Steve Garvey, a former Major League Baseball player who had emerged as the leading Republican candidate. Schiff finished first in the primary, and the general election matched him against Garvey. Schiff won the general election decisively, consolidating Democratic support and benefiting from two decades of name recognition, fundraising capacity, and his national profile built during the Intelligence Committee chairmanship and the Trump impeachment proceedings.

On December 9, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Schiff to the Senate to serve out the remaining days of the existing term, allowing him to begin accruing seniority before the commencement of his full elected term in January 2025. He took the seat previously held by Laphonza Butler and now serves alongside senior senator Alex Padilla.

United States Senate (2024–present)

Since joining the Senate, Schiff has been active on immigration, war powers, executive oversight, and financial regulation. In January 2026, he and Senator Padilla visited a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Kern County, California — a converted former prison holding approximately 1,400 detainees — drawing public attention to expanded immigration enforcement operations in the state. Schiff subsequently stated he would not support additional funding for ICE or Customs and Border