- California Republicans are facing a formidable battle on the ballot in March.
- Politicians of both parties run in California’s primary elections together, with the top two finishers moving on to the general contest.
- Garvey will have to battle attorney Eric Early for Republican support to unite the GOP base.
With the emergence of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Steve Garvey as a possible U.S. Senate candidate, California Republicans are facing a formidable battle on the ballot in March. The late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat has been open to long-shot candidates like Garvey, a former National League MVP and regular All-Star.
All the same, he might come out as one of two contenders in a packed primary on March 5 and go on to face off in November. Politicians of both parties run in California’s primary elections together, with the top two finishers moving on to the general contest.
US Senate
Garvey faces competition from three well-known Democrats in Congress, so if Republican voters band together in support of him, the primary math may go in his favor. Garvey hopes to follow in the footsteps of other well-known players who converted and became politicians, such as former NBA player Bill Bradley, Utah Representative Burgess Owens, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his maiden run for politics.
Due to his ongoing efforts to clarify the meaning of “conservative moderate” and his indecision on this year’s presidential contest, Garvey has had a rough start. He will “always uphold the voice of the people,” referring to the state’s long-standing inclination in favor of abortion rights, even though he opposes the right to an abortion. He does not, however, advocate a national abortion ban.
Republican candidate from California, Joe Garvey, is making an effort to position himself as a viable alternative to three Democrats who are virtually identical in terms of their policy positions. Although he is a “fast learner,” Garvey admits that, as an outsider, he lacks the experience of career politicians.
Los Angeles writer Tosh Berman, who remembers Garvey as a glamorous figure during his playing days in the 1970s and 1980s, is one of the votes he will have to win over. Initially, Garvey will have to battle attorney Eric Early for Republican support to unite the GOP base.
According to his campaign, the most dependable voters in the state will be older, white, more affluent homeowners who likely remember him from his baseball days.
Though the exact nature of the nation’s unrest in politics remains unclear, California’s State Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson believes Garvey will take the Democratic establishment by surprise. Garvey has acknowledged that he has learned from the attacks on his reputation connected to the sex scandals of the 1980s, but he has described his life as a journey.
