Ex-MLB great Steve Garvey leads Adam Schiff in California Senate race: poll
Former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres star Steve Garvey is ahead of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in California’s nonpartisan Senate primary, a new poll shows.
Garvey, a Republican and 10-time MLB All-Star, snagged 27% support in the Los Angeles Times/Berkeley IGS poll released Friday.
Support for Schiff in the hotly-contested race for the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was measured at 25% by the pollster.
Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) received 19% and 8% support, respectively, according to the survey.
The poll’s margin for error was 2 percentage points, meaning that Schiff and Garvey are neck-and-neck in the primary race.
The top two vote-getters in the March 5 contest will advance to a runoff in November, regardless of party affiliation.
California voters will be asked to select a candidate for a partial term in the Senate – to replace temporary appointee Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) between November and the start of the next term – and for a full term, which begins in January 2025 and runs for six years.
Garvey, Schiff, Porter and Lee are running in both races.
Garvey leads Schiff in the partial-term primary race by 6 points – 29% to 23%
“I am deeply humbled by the trust and support shown by Californians in this latest poll,” Garvey said in a statement. “This demonstrates that our message of addressing the real issues that Californians care about with compassionate, common-sense solutions is resonating more than the tired political bickering of career politicians.”
“It’s clear that people are ready for new leadership that brings us together to build a brighter future for California.”
Garvey campaign spokesman Matt Shupe argued that the former baseball star’s “half-century bond with Californians transcend politics and will prove to be a formidable force in both the primary and general elections.”
The same poll previously measured support for Garvey in the full-term race at 13% in early January.
The pollster attributes the “large increase in voter support for Garvey over the past six weeks” to Republican and strong conservative voters consolidating their support behind the former slugger.
Garvey is also likely to benefit from low turnout in the primary race. Only 9% of Californian’s have returned vote-by-mail ballots with just days to go before the primary.
“Garvey is the chief beneficiary in a low turnout election scenario, as he holds a huge advantage over the field among fellow Republicans and both he and Schiff are the two most preferred candidates among older voters, whites, and homeowners,” the poll notes.
The survey of 6,536 California registered voters was conducted between Feb. 22-27.
