In a high-stakes battle for a coveted U.S. Senate seat in California, Republican challenger Steve Garvey, a former Major League Baseball star, came up short against incumbent Democrat Adam Schiff. The Tuesday election result saw Schiff, a prominent figure in Congress who rose to national attention as the lead prosecutor in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, fend off an attempted incursion into the Democrats’ Senate majority.
Garvey, an MVP and perennial All-Star during his illustrious career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, had hoped to translate his sports celebrity into an against-the-odds political victory. Running as a self-described “conservative moderate” in a state where Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 registration advantage over Republicans, Garvey sought to appeal to independent and wavering Democratic voters.
Schiff Leans on Experience and National Profile
Congressman Schiff, however, never relinquished his polling or fundraising leads. Touting his more than two decades of experience in the House and continuing to position himself as a vocal Trump critic and defender of democratic norms, Schiff argued that he was best positioned to deliver results for Californians in an increasingly polarized Washington.
Though Garvey, a first-time candidate, pitched himself as a pragmatic outsider with fresh perspectives on how to tackle California’s entrenched issues such as homelessness, inflation, and housing costs, Schiff’s campaign messaging continually highlighted his deep policy knowledge and ability to secure resources for his constituents.
A Symbolic and Pivotal Race
The Schiff-Garvey contest was seen as emblematic of Democrats’ fight to retain their slim Senate majority in a midterm election year that historically favors the party out of power. It was also viewed as a test of whether the previously dependable Democratic stronghold of California might be susceptible to a Republican upset, even by a candidate without prior political experience.
In the end, though, California’s strong Democratic tilt held firm. A Republican has not won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1988, and Garvey proved unable to break that streak, despite his name recognition and sports pedigree.
While we came up short tonight, I’m proud of the race we ran and the issues we elevated. Californians face real challenges that will require bipartisan solutions and a commitment to put progress over partisanship. I hope that can still be achieved.
Steve Garvey, in his concession speech on Tuesday night
Capitalizing on a Rare Open Seat
The Senate seat that Schiff and Garvey vied for opened up following the retirement of long-serving Democrat Dianne Feinstein. At age 90, Feinstein was the oldest sitting U.S. Senator and had held the seat since 1992. Her departure set the stage for a high-profile contest to succeed her.
While Garvey assembled a spirited campaign and sought to strike a bipartisan tone on issues like inflation, crime, and energy policy, he was ultimately unable to defy both California’s heavily Democratic electorate and Schiff’s more than $25 million war chest and established political brand.
Celebrity Candidates an Enduring Phenomenon
Garvey’s Senate run marked the latest attempt by a celebrity to parlay fame into political success. From Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Al Franken and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the leap from entertainment or sports to elected office has long held allure.
But as Garvey’s loss shows, celebrity alone is often not enough to overcome the fundamentals of a state’s partisan leanings and the advantages of incumbency. Whether future stars will be deterred from seeking office by Garvey’s fate, though, remains an open question in an era when name ID and unorthodox campaigns have shown sporadic ability to upend political convention.
For now, though, California’s Senate delegation will remain entirely Democratic, with Schiff ascending to the upper chamber after more than two decades in the House. How he navigates the transition, and whether he seeks to assert himself as a national Democratic messenger in the mold of his predecessor Feinstein, could be among the most closely watched dynamics of the new Congress.
