Former Major League Baseball star Steve Garvey continues to gain traction in the race to succeed the late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate.
A recent poll from Politico shows Garvey, who is running as a Republican, with the support of 19% of likely California voters, second to Congressman Adam Schiff’s 28%. A Policy Institute of California poll conducted in mid-November had Garvey at 10%, trailing both Schiff (21%) and Rep. Katie Porter (16%).
Earlier this month, Garvey toured the oft-neglected Salton Sea and broadly outlined his priorities for the region, which has become a focal point after a U.S. Department of Energy analysis found it could hold one of the largest lithium brine deposits in the world.
“People first. The ecology and environment second, and then the development of a potentially vast resource for building of batteries and eventually cleaner energy” he told reporters.
Garvey also toured the U.S.-Mexico border where he met with Border Patrol agents and social workers.
“The perception is we have this crisis – what are we going to do about it? We talk about illegal immigrants. We talk about a path to citizenship. But at the end of the day, it’s humanity,” he told KTLA’s Eytan Wallace.
To date, the former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres slugger has not offered any specific proposals about border security or laid out detailed positions on other key issues.
He also hasn’t revealed where, as a Republican, he stands on former President Trump in 2024 and whether he voted for him in the past.
Most experts believe Garvey will need Trump supporters if he’s to win in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006 when Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governor’s race.
“I think there’s only been one loud voice that’s controlled California, and [what our country is built on] is two voices, two opinions,” he told Wallace. “If you stand with me, maybe we can make a difference and improve the quality of your life, and bring back the luster of this state.”
Just how he intends to do that, remains to be seen.
Garvey’ campaign website shows his platform prioritizing giving parents more educational decisions and lowering taxes while increasing police budgets, along with a strong national defense.
But at the moment, Garvey isn’t offering any specific proposals on how to achieve those priorities, running for now on the promise that he is the best candidate to represent California in the U.S. Senate.