PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Former Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey hit a surprise home run in California’s jungle primary in March, but can the Republican Senate candidate secure a win this November? He revealed his strategy and his cautiously optimistic outlook in an interview with The Post.
Garvey emphasized his hope to promote unity and civility in the Senate, meaning California could be poised to send a political switch-hitter to Washington this fall.
“I’ll go to all 99 senators, I’ll go to their office, I will stick out my hand, I will say, ‘I want to work with you for the good of your state and mind and for this country and the world, and let’s do this together,’” the Republican said of his plans on Capitol Hill.
Garvey is running against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, but the RealClearPolitics average shows Schiff leading by over 20 percent. Still, the Republican’s ability to squeeze past Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in the Golden State’s jungle primary gives his supporters hope for a potential upset. Plus, the former baseball star’s popularity could help boost Republican turnout in competitive congressional districts down the ballot.
“We’ve come a long way, but I think we got a long way to go,” Garvey said, emphasizing his status as a political outsider and commitment to being a one-term lawmaker if elected.
He noted that his top priorities in the Senate would include crime, education, and homelessness — issues that have marred the state’s political discourse for years.
“First of all, I will demand an audit for where the $20 to $25 billion went for the homeless in California. And I think that’s one of the great humanitarian disasters. We’ve gone to all of the inner cities, Sacramento and San Francisco and San Diego,” Garvey said, adding that the streets in these cities are “almost unwalkable.”
Since Garvey’s conversation with The Post, former President Donald Trump has toyed with the idea of an endorsement, telling NBC Los Angeles on Friday that he’s reluctant to endorse the former slugger but still urges him to seek one.
“I don’t know much about Steve Garvey. I think he’s made a big mistake because he hasn’t reached out to MAGA,” the Trump told the local outlet, adding: “If he doesn’t have MAGA, he has no chance.”
Garvey, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be holding his breath for the former president’s endorsement, responding in a statement that his campaign is not intended for “partisan or special interests.”
“Since day one, I’ve ran a different type of campaign, I have not taken or asked for a single political endorsement, the only endorsements I want are from the law enforcement community and first responders,” he said in a statement provided to The Post. “My focus is, and always has been, on the issues that truly matter to Californians — affordability, public safety, securing the border, fixing the homeless crisis, and restoring California’s leadership.”
Garvey added that he’s pouring resources into engagement with California’s Latino community in the remaining weeks of election season,
“It’s a very narrow path in California, a one-party state. Such a disparity in registration. But what we did to get through the primary, I think shocked a lot of people, and we’re gonna win this. I can’t tell you exactly how we’re gonna do it today, but we’ve got a pretty good plan,” he told The Post.
Whoever wins the seat will be replacing Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to the seat following the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who held the office for decades. Feinstein, who was 90 years old, did not plan to run for another term.