In politics, name recognition plays an undeniable part in determining who gets the vote. As the top candidates for the U.S. Senate in California gear up for Monday's debate hosted by Inside California Politics, here's how they have fared in online search results during the race.
Over the past week, Republican candidate Steve Garvey has garnered the most interest on Google, thanks possibly in part to rival Rep. Adam Schiff's campaign including him in a new political ad.
Garvey is easily the least known to voters of the top four candidates. The three Democratic contenders are all U.S. Congressional representatives, two of whom have served more than 20 years.
Garvey was likely a better-known name in the state throughout the 70s and 80s when he played professional baseball in Southern California, first for the Los Angeles Dodgers and then with the San Diego Padres.
Over the last 12 months, however, it's Schiff that drives the most Google searches.
Schiff made a name for himself nationally over the past few years as an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump. The representative from Burbank led the first impeachment inquiry into Trump in 2019, making him a go-to target for Republicans.
Indeed, by far the highest number of Google searches any candidate pulled this year was when House Republicans censured Schiff in July over his role in the investigations into Trump.
Garvey earned the least amount of searches over the course of the year, though. Unlike the other candidates, he only announced his campaign in October. The campaign announcement surged the number of Garvey-related Google searches, earning him the second-largest spike of the year.
Lee also had her time in the national spotlight, though the moment has mostly since faded from the national consciousness.
The representative from Oakland cast the only vote in either House of Congress against the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks. This move drew national attention and bipartisan criticism at the time. In recent years, Lee's vote against what her office continues to call a "blank check for endless war" is more often seen as prescient.
Katie Porter, the youngest top candidate by more than a decade, has only been in Congress since 2019 but has managed to make a slight impression on the national stage through her use of visual aids and by asking pointed questions to business executives and government leaders in congressional hearings.
Beyond the top four, more than 20 other candidates are vying for the Senate seat formerly held by Dianne Feinstein. Search interest for even the most recognizable names among those contenders, such as former KTLA reporter Christina Pascucci or perennial candidate Attorney Eric Early, remains minimal.