With less than six weeks to go until the primary election in California, candidates for the seat once held by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein are locking down last-minute endorsements ahead of March 5.

On Thursday, Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., one of the last democrats in the delegation to endorse, announced he was backing Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. in the race.

Part of the decision, he told Spectrum News, came down to Schiff’s support of bringing back congressional funding for projects, also known as earmarks, something that Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., is against.

“Adam Schiff supports earmarks for my constituents. Just this morning, I went to a small event in downtown Anaheim, where they wanted to thank me for a million dollars being brought back to support youth mental health services,” said Correa. “These were all Anaheim residents, grassroots people that know that a million dollars is going to make a big difference in their lives, and in the lives of those young people that they service. Adam Schiff supports those kinds of earmarks.”

Schiff has received the backing of 27 members of the California Democratic delegation, while Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., has received four endorsements and Porter has gotten one.

Two members of the delegation, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. have endorsed both Schiff and Lee in dual endorsements.

For Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the choice to support a fellow progressive was a no brainer. He announced his support for Lee in late March of last year and is a co-chair of her campaign.

“She was an early supporter of the ceasefire [in the war between Israel and Hamas] with the release of all hostages. That’s a differentiator in that race,” said Khanna this week. “I think with her record on issues of war and peace, of Medicare for all, free public college, because I know many progressive Democrats in California will vote for her.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., a freshman member representing Long Beach, is the only member of the delegation to back his district neighbor Porter.

He said the Irvine congressional representative has been a mentor to him.

“I think Katie is a true fighter and warrior in our state. I think she stands up to the big banks to corporate power. She understands the top issues are housing affordability and climate change. And so I think that she represents someone that will shake up the Senate in Washington,” he told us on the day he endorsed her back in October 2023.

“I remember when I ran for Congress, there’s one member of Congress that endorsed me on day one, and that was Katie Porter. And I think she saw in me someone that’s willing also to take on power when necessary and be the voice of the people.”

We spoke to a handful of Democratic staffers about the decision their boss faced in choosing between three current members. One staffer admitted it was a difficult choice.

“All the candidates have amazing qualities and trying to decide between one amazing candidate and another is a difficult choice,” they said. “Someone’s going to win and someone’s going to lose, and that sucks.”

Another staffer said their boss didn’t struggle to make a choice. “I don’t think it was a tough decision. Everyone has worked with Adam Schiff and they know what a hard worker he is.” 

And while the delegation has kept things cordial, one staffer admitted there are always hometown turf wars, especially in such a high stakes race. “It’s the same as in a presidential primary — if you can’t win in your home state, are you electable at all? That logic applies to your district too.”

Some members of the delegation have declined to endorse or have yet to show their hand.

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the Democratic Conference Chair has yet to endorse, though his vice chair, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., threw his support behind Schiff.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, called the three “strong candidates,” but said she would not be endorsing at this time because of her role as chair.

A handful of other Democratic members, including Reps. John Garamendi, Josh Harder, Raul Ruiz, and Norma Torres, have yet to endorse.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said “Rep. Jacobs hasn’t endorsed anyone in the race, and doesn’t have plans to do so.”