Former baseball star Steve Garvey and Rep. Adam Schiff advance in California Senate race

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Republican former Major League Baseball star Steve Garvey were the top two vote-getters in California’s Super Tuesday Senate primary, advancing to the November general election. 

The two candidates will face off after beating out Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in the competitive race to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in the Senate. 

“What you all are feeling tonight is what it’s like to hit a walkoff homerun,” Garvey, a former gold glover and 75-year-old political newcomer, told his supporters Tuesday night.  

“Keep in mind, this is the first game of a doubleheader,” Garvey added, alluding to his November head-to-head matchup against Schiff. “So, keep the evening of Nov. 5 open as we will celebrate again.”

Garvey, a 10-time MLB All-Star who played for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, attributed his advancement to voters’ “shared belief with me that California is no longer a heartbeat of America.”

The current senator in the hotly contested seat, Laphonza Butler, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and is not running for re-election.

Garvey now faces the difficult task of competing directly against Schiff in deep blue California.

“I’ll go to DC to build a consensus,” the former first baseman said.  

“I will start by going to all 99 senators, reaching out my hand and asking them to work with me for the best interests of the people of these United States,” he added, noting that the results of the primary made him feel like he did on the day he was “called up to the Dodgers, went to the clubhouse and put on a Dodger uniform for the first time.” 

Schiff, who was censured by House Republicans last year for “misleading American public” about allegations of collusion between former President Donald Trump and Russia, has raised $29.8 million in contributions as of mid-February for his Senate campaign, in addition to the $21 million he had stashed away in his House account, according to ABC News. 

“They say in the general election that we’re going to strike out, but you know what that’s from,” Garvey said of his doubters. “That’s from the crowd that believes in the status quo.”