California Comeback? MLB Star Steve Garvey Shows Strength in Primary Results, Which Could Help Republicans Nationwide
The “California Comeback” may be more than just California dreaming.
On Tuesday, voting closed for the California Senate primary and saw Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey end up neck-and-neck, taking them to a general election runoff in November, according to NPR.
And Garvey announced the news to his supporters in classic fashion: “Welcome to the California Comeback.”
As a politician who’s probably better known in the Golden State for his infield positions playing Major League Baseball than any positions he’s taken on the issues, Garvey put the situation in language that recalled his heroics on the diamond.
“What you are all feeling tonight is what it’s like to hit a walk-off home run,” he said.
In California primaries, the top two vote-getters advance, regardless of their party.
On Tuesday, Schiff won 33 percent of the vote, according to NPR; Garvey came in second with 32.5 percent.
Two other Democrats, U.S. Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, were knocked out in the primary, representing roughly 21 percent of the total votes in the race.
The results represent a major win for both Schiff and Garvey, with Schiff no longer needing to compete against fellow Democrats in the runoffs and Garvey doing well for a Republican in the intensely blue state.
And he actually did well in two elections at once. On Tuesday, according to NPR, voters were actually voting in two primaries, one to serve out the end of the late Sen. Diane Feinstein’s term, which will begin as soon as the November election is decided. The other is to serve in the next Congress, which begins in January.
“In a quirk of election timing, voters actually weighed in on two questions Tuesday: who should compete for the full six-year term that begins next January, and who should fill out the final months of Feinstein’s term after the November election,” NPR reported.
“In both cases, voters chose Garvey and Schiff.”
Unfortunately for the former first baseman, it’s unlikely that he’ll be proceeding past the runoff election.
Since the vote for Democrats was split between three candidates, the runoff election will likely see those consolidating behind Schiff.
A poll from UC Berkley Institute of Governmental Studies saw voters indicate in a race between the two options, the Democrat choice would garner 53 percent while Garvey falls behind at 38 percent, with the final 9 percent undecided.
While the former baseball star — whose Major League career included 14 years with Los Angeles Dodgers and five with the San Diego Padres — is unlikely to win the Senate seat, that doesn’t mean nothing good will come from his success.
Garvey may not find success in the final race, but just his presence on the ballot could help other Republicans.
A similar situation occurred in 2022 in New York when Republican Lee Zeldin made a strong bid for the governor’s office before ultimately losing to Democrat and current Gov. Kathy Hochul.
But his strong campaign performance was far from meaningless as it is credited with helping flip three House seats within the state, according to Politico.
Zeldin may not have gotten the privilege to take office but he certainly was able to make major shifts in the political landscape of New York.
And Garvey very well could do just that, too.
Many more positions in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the state legislature will be up for election later in the year and a major leading voice like Garvey could make the difference.
With Republicans holding a majority in the House by only a handful of votes, every seat the GOP can win matters. That means that Garvey’s strong showing in California is likely to help Republicans nationwide.
It’s been many years since a Republican has seen this level of success in a California election.
Even without an overall win, the ability to garner the amount of support he has is a major positive for Garvey and California Republicans.
So when he stated, “Welcome to the California comeback,” Garvey very well meant it.
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