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.