Legal Insurrection readers may recall that California Governor Gavin News appointed EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Dianne Feinstein, who passed away late last month. The appointment was made despite the fact Butler has not lived in California since she was appointed to the position in 2021.
While there are a number of Democrats vying for the Senate seat, there has been an interesting turn on the Republican side.
Baseball great Steve Garvey announced Tuesday that he is running as a Republican to be the next senator from California. He enters a crowded race currently dominated by Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.“Our campaign is focused on quality-of-life issues, public safety, and education,” Garvey said in a statement.“As a U.S. Senator, I will serve with commonsense, compassion, and will work to build consensus to benefit all of the people of California.” Garvey played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. He also chaired the Multiple Sclerosis Society and worked with a variety of causes including the Special Olympics, the Blind Children Center, United Way and Ronald McDonald House.“I’ve been fortunate to wear many hats in my life — from professional athlete to businessman to philanthropist. But the one thing that has remained consistent is my love for this great state and my desire to make a difference,” Garvey said.
Despite his fame in baseball, Garvey appears to be facing long odds.
Mr. Garvey will be running against at least three Democrats: Representatives Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.A poll released last month by The Los Angeles Times and the University of California, Berkeley, found that if Mr. Garvey entered the race, he would start in a distant third place, tied with Ms. Lee, but trailing Mr. Schiff and Ms. Porter by double digits. Laphonza Butler, the Democrat who was appointed to complete Ms. Feinstein’s term, has not said whether she will run next year….California’s electoral system is unusual in that it does not have separate Democratic and Republican primaries; the top two candidates in the first round of voting, regardless of their affiliation, will advance to the November 2024 general election. That means the general election could feature two Democrats and no Republicans, an outcome well within the realm of possibility in a state as blue as California.If Mr. Garvey did make it to the general election, he would face long odds. California has not elected a Republican to the Senate in more than 30 years.
I am really not looking forward to having to decide between Schiff and Porter in November 2024. So, I wish Garvey lots of success. Other Californians seem quite skeptical of his chances for other reasons other than the Democrats’ head start.
I will simply note that undetermined future events may make it easier for Garvey to persuade Californians to vote Republican. I know that I didn’t have “beheading babies” on my news bingo card at the end of last week.
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