Until this week, the Israel-Hamas war had cleaved the top three California Democratic candidates in the U.S. Senate race into two distinct camps: for or against a cease-fire. Now, Rep. Katie Porter’s trying to carve out her own middle ground, calling for an end to the violence — with an asterisk.
With Rep. Barbara Lee claiming the anti-war position and Rep. Adam Schiff not budging in his opposition to a cease-fire, Porter is left with little room to maneuver.
But her swerve also heightens the knotty political dynamics at play for all three Democrats, now that each contender has staked out a distinct lane.
A ‘lasting bilateral cease-fire’
Porter’s new position brings her in line with a slew of House Democrats who now embrace the freighted word “cease-fire,” but add a varying number of conditions, such as the release of all hostages or humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
It’s a complex position not easily distilled in a soundbite (ergo Porter’s nearly 400-word statement). The question is whether........