Adam Schiff Bio
Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the junior United States senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, he has built a long career in public service, including more than two decades in the United States House of Representatives. Before entering elective office, Schiff worked as an assistant United States attorney and as a law clerk, giving him a strong legal foundation that shaped his approach to public policy and national security issues.
Schiff first won national attention as chair of the House Intelligence Committee and as the lead impeachment manager during the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2024 and was sworn in on December 9, 2024. Today he is recognized for his work on foreign policy, surveillance reform, and Armenian-American affairs.
Early Life and Background
Adam Bennett Schiff was born on June 22, 1960, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He is the son of Edward Schiff and Sherrill Ann (née Glovsky) Schiff. He is the great-grandson of Lithuanian Jews who left Eastern Europe in earlier generations. The family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1970 and then to Alamo, California, in 1972, where Schiff spent most of his childhood.
Schiff graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, in 1978. At school he played soccer and earned the titles of class salutatorian and the student his peers voted “most likely to succeed.” He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Stanford University in 1982, graduating with distinction. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor cum laude in 1985. While at Harvard, he worked as a research assistant for Professor Laurence Tribe and was active with the Harvard Law School Forum.
Path to US Politics
After law school, Schiff clerked for Judge William Matthew Byrne Jr. of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He then served as an assistant United States attorney in the same district from 1987 to 1993. In that role he came to public attention for prosecuting Richard Miller, a former FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.
In May 1994, Schiff ran for the California State Assembly in a special election and lost to Republican James E. Rogan. That November he ran again for the same seat and lost once more to Rogan. Two years later, in 1996, he won a seat in the California State Senate, representing the 21st district. At 36, he was the youngest member of the state Senate. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Select Committee on Juvenile Justice, and the Joint Committee on the Arts. His work on the Gold Line light rail extension earned him the nickname “Father of the Gold Line.”
Adam Schiff Career
Early Career (1996–2000)
Schiff began his elective career in the California State Senate in 1996, where he served for four years. During that time he built a record of legislative work, including measures on transportation, juvenile justice, and the arts. He also authored several “tough on crime” proposals that did not pass or were vetoed by the governor.
In 2000, Schiff challenged U.S. Representative James E. Rogan in California’s 27th congressional district. The race was the most expensive House race in the country at the time. Schiff defeated Rogan with 53 percent of the vote, becoming only the second Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1913.
House of Representatives Breakthrough (2001–2018)
After the 2000 census, Schiff’s district was renumbered the 29th and became more Democratic, allowing him to win easy reelection 11 times. He won races against Republican and independent challengers, including a 2010 contest against Tea Party-backed John Colbert. His district was later renumbered the 28th and, after 2020, the 30th.
Schiff focused much of his early House work on local issues, including the Helicopter Noise Relief Act, which directed the FAA to address helicopter noise in Los Angeles County. He also became a leading voice on Armenian-American issues, introducing resolutions to recognize the Armenian genocide. He earned an “A+” rating from the Armenian National Committee of America. Schiff also became a strong advocate for press freedom, founding the Congressional Caucus for the Freedom of the Press in 2006 and helping pass the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, which President Barack Obama signed in 2010.
Intelligence Committee and Impeachment Era (2019–2023)
In January 2019, Schiff became chair of the House Intelligence Committee. He led high-profile investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and pressed for answers about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. In 2019, the House impeached President Donald Trump on party-line votes, and in January 2020 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Schiff a lead impeachment manager during the Senate trial.
In 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Schiff to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. He led several of the committee’s public hearings, including the June 21, 2022, hearing featuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers. In June 2023, the House voted on a party-line basis to censure Schiff for his role in promoting the Russian-collusion investigation. He denied the allegations and called them “defamatory.”
U.S. Senate Era (2024–Present)
Schiff resigned from the House on December 8, 2024, and was sworn in as a U.S. senator on December 9, 2024. In the 2024 election, he defeated fellow U.S. Representatives Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in the primary and former baseball player Steve Garvey in the general election. He succeeded Laphonza Butler in filling the remainder of Dianne Feinstein’s term and also won the term beginning January 3, 2025.
In the Senate, Schiff serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee. In July 2025, he led a letter signed by 32 Democratic senators urging the committee to protect California’s Proposition 12 farm animal welfare law. In December 2025, he authored legislation to create a national strategy for protein diversification, including $500 million to support plant-based and cultivated meat. He also supported the 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran, saying Israel could not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
Notable Events and Milestones
Schiff’s career-defining moments include his role as the lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, his leadership of the January 6 Committee hearings, and his elevation to the U.S. Senate in 2024. He also earned a reputation as a leading advocate for surveillance reform, Armenian genocide recognition, and press freedom, while also serving as an impeachment manager in two earlier judicial impeachment trials.
Adam Schiff Career Wins
Adam Schiff has compiled a long record of electoral victories and legislative achievements across more than two decades in public office. He won his first congressional race in 2000 and was reelected 11 times before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2024.
U.S. House Highlights
Schiff won his first House race in 2000 by unseating Republican incumbent James E. Rogan. He went on to win 11 consecutive reelection campaigns in districts that grew steadily more Democratic. His most recent House win came in 2022, when he won 71 percent of the vote in the redrawn 30th district.
U.S. Senate Highlights
Schiff won the 2024 U.S. Senate race in California by finishing first in the primary and then defeating Republican Steve Garvey in the general election. He was sworn in on December 9, 2024, and continues to serve.
Other Achievements
Schiff authored dozens of measures that became California law during his state Senate tenure. He also helped pass the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act in 2010 and led the House Intelligence Committee during a period of intense national focus on Russian election interference and presidential accountability.
Adam Schiff Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Adam Bennett Schiff was raised in a family with deep roots in Jewish heritage. He is the great-grandson of Lithuanian Jews who left Eastern Europe. He is the son of Edward and Sherrill Ann (née Glovsky) Schiff. After moving across the country during his childhood, he eventually settled in California, where he built his legal and political career.
Personal Life
Schiff met his wife, Eve Sanderson, on a tennis court in 1990, and the couple married in 1995. They have two children, a daughter named Alexa (Lexi) and a son named Elijah (Eli). The family lives in Burbank, California. Outside of politics, Schiff has completed triathlons and marathons and was the first member of Congress to ride the AIDS/LifeCycle charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2014. He has also written screenplays and published the book Midnight in Washington in 2021.