With just over a month to go before California's top-two primary, Rep. Adam Schiff is airing ads in the hopes of ensuring that his opponent in the November general election is a Republican rather than a fellow Democrat. The move, which comes just days before election officials begin mailing out ballots for the March 5 contest, is aimed at helping Schiff avert what would be an expensive and unpredictable all-Democratic race for the state's open Senate seat.
Schiff's commercial ostensibly attacks former Major League Baseball player Steve Garvey but in a way designed to help Garvey consolidate support from Republican voters. "Steve Garvey, the leading Republican, is too conservative for California," says the narrator, explaining that Garvey "voted for Trump—twice—and supported Republicans for years, including far-right conservatives."
The rest of the spot promotes Schiff, who has raised far more money for his bid than his rivals, as "the leading Democrat" and praises his battles with Trump. The congressman's ad does not mention either of the other two Democratic House members running for this seat, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, or any of the other hopefuls. In California, all candidates run on one ballot, and the two with the most votes, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
Schiff's decision to boost Garvey signals that the Democrat is confident that he's guaranteed a spot in that Nov. 5 contest, and a new poll conducted by three California universities gives him reason for optimism about this strategy. The survey shows Schiff in front with 25%, as Porter and Garvey deadlock 15-15 for the crucial second-place spot.
Another 7% goes to Lee, and 29% remain undecided, while no one else takes more than 1%. (The schools involved in the effort, which they've dubbed the California Elections and Policy Poll, include the University of Southern California; California State University, Long Beach; and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.) Other recent surveys have also shown Schiff ahead, though they disagree on whether Porter or Garvey has the edge for the second slot.
Porter released a statement blasting Schiff's gambit as "brazenly cynical," but he's by no means the first California Democrat to attempt such a maneuver.
When the dark blue 42nd Congressional District came open in 2022, for instance, Democrat Robert Garcia and his allies similarly tied Republican John Briscoe to Trump. They got what they wanted: Garcia, the mayor of Long Beach, secured first with 49% as Briscoe beat out another Democrat 26-13 for second. Garcia went on to crush Briscoe 68-32 in the fall.
Porter also hopes that renewed negative coverage in the Los Angeles Times of Garvey's personal life will offset Schiff's plan to make the self-described "devoted family man" his opponent. In 1989, Garvey acknowledged he may have fathered two children with different women before marrying his first wife, claiming to the Times that he was taking "moral and financial responsibility."
The story led to widespread mockery of the sports legend, with one character on "The Golden Girls" even joking, "I just hope I’m not carrying Steve Garvey’s baby." Garvey, who even then was contemplating seeking office one day, downplayed the potential implications. "All of us are going to have problems," he said, "and the key is how you handle them."
Those two now-grown children, though, now tell the paper that Garvey "declined every opportunity" to talk to them while they were growing up. "Thus, we have never known him," they continued, "and our only relationships with him were through the family court system." The eldest child from Garvey's first marriage also says that he largely stopped communicating with her 15 years ago for reasons she says he never explained, a state of affairs she calls "shameful."
Garvey's campaign issued a statement in response to the LA Times' new report that did not directly address any details concerning his children. "The challenges I faced after retiring from Major League Baseball four decades ago were pivotal in shaping the person I am today," he said. "I’m the luckiest man to be happily married to the love of my life, Candace, for the last 35 years, which I believe demonstrates my growth and commitment to family values."
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