A Dodgers Great, Steve Garvey, Revives Compassionate Conservative Message in California Senate Campaign

And heeeeere’s the pitch: With the U.S. Senate primary in California heating up, Republicans are becoming hopeful that a retired baseball great, Steve Garvey, might have broad enough appeal to make it to the general election in the state.In California, primary elections are run in a top-two open primary system, meaning that voters registered with any party may vote for any candidate in the primary. The two candidates who get the most votes advance to the general election.With a competitive race under way on the Democratic side — Representatives Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee are vying for a top-two spot — Republicans have found a candidate who might be able to make it to the general election, something far from guaranteed for Republicans on the Coast.In California, two concurrent Senate elections are taking place. One is a special election to replace Senator Feinstein, who died last year. Whoever wins this will serve through the end of that term in January 2025.The other is the general election on November 5, which will select who will serve a full six-year term beginning in January 2025. Both the special election and the general election primary are set to happen on March 5.Polling on the election is inconsistent. Perhaps most notably, Mr. Garvey and Ms. Lee are performing better in the special election polling. According to a recent University of California Berkeley and Los Angeles Times survey, Mr. Garvey is polling in third place at 17 percent support, just behind Ms. Porter, who enjoys 18 percent support in the upcoming special election for Senate.Mr. Schiff is leading the pack with 21 percent support, and Ms. Lee is in fourth place, according to the survey, at 12 percent.In the primary polling for the full-term election, Mr. Garvey enjoys only 13 percent support, and Ms. Lee is at 9 percent. Mr. Schiff’s support is consistent at 21 percent, and Ms. Porter’s support is about the same, at 17 percent. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus two points.The managing editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, Kyle Kondik, tells the Sun that Mr. Garvey “has a decent chance to make the November ballot, likely against Adam Schiff.”“The GOP presidential primary,” Mr. Kondik says, “may drive some additional Republican turnout, although that race may effectively be over by Super Tuesday. There is no path for a Republican to win a Senate general election in California.”While Mr. Garvey might get a boost from the presidential primary, he also stands to benefit from being the only Republican to make the debate stage in the race’s first primary, which will feature the top four candidates.At the same time, Mr. Garvey will likely provide a welcome foil for the Democrats onstage, allowing them to avoid some of the intra-party competition that has defined the primary. In response to his position as the only Republican who might make it to the general election, Mr. Garvey’s campaign has moved to position the former Dodger as the candidate to beat.“The dynamics of this election are clearly evolving into a race to beat Steve Garvey,” Mr. Garvey’s campaign spokesman, Matt Shupe, said in a statement. “As Californians reconnect with Steve Garvey and embrace his message of compassionate, commonsense solutions for the everyday issues they face, coupled with his commitment to building political consensus.”Mr. Garvey has struck an unusual tone for a Republican candidate, specifically on the issue of homelessness. After a recent visit to a homeless encampment at Sacramento, Mr. Garvey said that these “individuals seek not just shelter, but compassionate solutions that address the core causes of this crisis.”In California, housing affordability and homelessness have emerged as top issues, only outpaced by the “economy” in general, according to a recent Inside California Politics and Emerson College survey. The survey found that 12 percent of Californians considered housing affordability their top issue, while 11 percent considered homelessness their top issue, which was tied with crime and immigration.

A Dodgers Great, Steve Garvey, Revives Compassionate Conservative Message in California Senate Campaign

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