Sen. Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) swearing-in for a full six-year term in the upper chamber this week set a U.S. record, as the 119th Congress convened for the first time Friday.
The Democrat from Burbank, Calif., is the only senator in the U.S. history to have taken the oath of office three separate times in less than one month.
Schiff’s unique achievement is a result of the Golden State’s laws regarding Senate vacancies.
Even though the governor can appoint a person to fill a vacant Senate seat temporarily, state law requires a special election during the next statewide general election to determine who will fill the seat for the remainder of the term, starting after the election results are certified.
The process happened in 2022 when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was elected to fill the seat vacated by Vice President Harris for both the partial and full term.
However, Schiff got a head start on swearing in when former Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) had appointed to fill the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), who died in September at the age of 90, until after November’s election, resigned early on Dec. 8.
This allowed Newsom to appoint Schiff to the office resulting in the former member of the House taking the oath for the first time on Dec. 9.
Then on Dec.19, Schiff was sworn in once more after California Secretary of State Shirley Weber certified the state’s election results of the special election to serve the final few weeks of Feinstein’s term.
On Friday, Schiff was sworn in for the third time along with many of his colleagues to serve a full term in the 119th Senate. Harris administered the oath of office.
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