Steve Garvey, former first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, is waging a serious bid to win a seat in the United States Senate.
Garvey is no stranger to comebacks and long odds. However, pulling out a ninth winning political win is, by all accounts, unlikely.
Garvey is vying to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, replacing Diane Feinstein, who passed away last year.
The deep blue state represents unfertile ground for a pro-Trump Republican with no political experience, but Steve Garvey, 75, is hopeful.
Garvey pulled out a surprise victory in California’s primary this week. The incredible win allows him to advance to the general election in November.
California allows the top two candidates in the primary to advance to the general election in November, regardless of party affiliation. For the last several election cycles, only Democrats have appeared on the ballot. It has been decades since a Republican won the right to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
Following his win, Garvey told supporters and those who questioned his ability to win: “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over…don’t count me out.”
Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey will advance to November for California's highly coveted U.S. Senate seat.
In his victory speech, Garvey told supporters to keep Nov. 5 open so they can celebrate again.
Will he have a shot? Here's what to expect: https://t.co/DNIhQ5ynv3
— Yue Stella Yu (@bystellayu) March 6, 2024
Interestingly, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff calculated it would be better to face Garvey in the general than the two primary Democrat challengers on the ballot. Accordingly, Schiff ran carefully worded attack ads on Fox warning that Garvey was a MAGA Republican who must be defeated.
Schiff’s campaign designed the ads to spur Republicans to vote in the primary, which they did. Thus, Garvey’s poll numbers increased, and, in the end, he garnered more votes than the serious Democratic contenders Katie Porter and Bargara Lee.
Schiff’s shrewd political decision to invest more than $40 million in attack ads indirectly prompting Republicans to vote for Garvey, though legal, and prompted Lee to cry foul.
Election results, however, stand, with Garvey and Schiff at a statistical tie, according to Politico.
ABC News 7 reported that voting tabulations are still in process but, preliminary results show Schiff received 1,247,723 votes and Garvey received 1,220,683.
Politico reported that Garvey has a 50-year history with California, and is counting on his “common sense, compassion, and consensus” platform, and name recognition to propel him to victory.
Campaign spokesperson Matt Shupe said last Friday, “Garvy’s bond with Californians transcends politics and will prove to be a formidable force in both the primary and general elections.”
However, California’s voting block is overwhelmingly Democrat, and Garvey’s campaign is severely underfunded. Further, no California Republican has a seat in the U.S. Senate for more than three decades.
