UC Berkeley institute backs down on tentative Senate debate amid campus upheaval
An institute at the University of California, Berkeley has withdrawn invitations for a tentative Senate race debate between Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and GOP rival Steve Garvey, citing safety concerns.
The university’s Institute of Governmental Studies — which had initially reached out to the candidates in March about a possible debate on campus some time in the fall — backed off that proposal this week, according to emails sent Thursday and shared by Garvey campaign spokesperson Matt Shupe. A spokesperson for Schiff confirmed they also received the same email from an institute official canceling the plans.
The potential debate had barely gotten off the ground before IGS nixed the proposal. Neither candidate had accepted the invitation, a date had not yet been set and they had not identified a possible media partner. The race in deep blue California is not viewed as competitive.
Eric Schickler, the institute’s co-director, told POLITICO the center — a relatively small research program in one of the University of California system’s largest schools — abandoned its initial plans after finding the cost of security to be prohibitively high.
“On any campus right now, you need to be responsible to have enough security and a plan to conduct the event so it’ll go on successfully,” Schickler said in an interview. “The kind of resources needed for a Senate debate in California with high stakes, high visibility — that's beyond what a single unit like ours can do.”
The cancellation signals that the war in Gaza could continue to drive unrest on college campuses following the summer break.
Garvey, a former major league baseball player in an exceedingly difficult race, has tried to capitalize on the broader campus unrest. In a statement, he seized on the institute’s withdrawal as evidence of school administrators folding in the face of rowdy protests — pinning the blame solely on the pro-Palestinian side.
“It’s terrible how violent, pro-Hamas protestors are dictating campus policy, creating an unsafe environment for students, and preventing unique educational opportunities such as hosting this debate,” Garvey said.
UC Berkeley is among the campuses across the country to be roiled by student protests over the Israel-Hamas war in recent weeks that have drawn national attention and prompted some universities to cancel or downsize graduation plans.
But Schickler noted that UC Berkeley has largely avoided the violent clashes seen at schools such as Columbia University or UCLA, which garnered national headlines. He noted that IGS successfully held events across the political spectrum this spring without being disrupted.
“I just don’t think that’s a fair characterization of what went on,” Schickler said of Garvey’s comment.
The debate brouhaha began after Christine Trost, executive director at the institute, initially emailed Garvey’s campaign in March advising of the institute’s intention to host an early fall debate. The notification came well before the most recent round of campus protests which have dominated politics from the East to West Coast. Shupe gave a noncommittal response at the time, adding he was interested in seeing their plans for “a civil environment.”
On Thursday, Trost wrote back to Shupe to inform him of the withdrawal, saying that tensions on campus are high and “may be even more intense due to the November election.”
“After considerable reflection, we have determined that we do not have the capacity to ensure a safe and civil event,” she wrote. “We also don’t have the resources that would likely be needed to ensure adequate security for such a high profile event.”
Trost apologized, adding that it is “really such a shame that we cannot promise both candidates a civil and peaceful event, especially at a time when civil dialogue and discourse is needed more than ever.”
No general election debates between Schiff and Garvey have been publicly announced, though various media outlets have extended invitations, Shupe said. He said the campaign was waiting to receive all requests before making any commitments, but asserted the Republican would agree to appear on-stage against Schiff in some fashion.
“Steve Garvey will definitely debate in the general election,” Shupe said.
A spokesperson for the Schiff campaign did not immediately comment on whether the congressmember would debate Garvey.
Lara Korte and Blake Jones contributed to this report.
