Former World Series Champion and National League MVP Steve Garvey offers California Republicans the opportunity to win a U.S. Senate seat for the first time in recent memory.
The latest poll by Politico showed Steve Garvey as a top two contender in the March primary with 19% of the vote along with Democrat Adam Schiff who led the field with 28%. Democrat Congressmembers Katie Porter and Barbara Lee trailed Garvey with 17% and 14% respectively.
Steve Garvey’s rapid rise in the polls since his entry into the Senate race last fall reflects the huge following he earned as one of Major League Baseball’s brightest stars. Garvey played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres from 1969-1987. He helped lead the Dodgers to a World Series Championship in 1981. His game-winning home run in 1984 secured the San Diego Padres’ first ever National League Pennant. Garvey earned the reputation as an “ironman” of Major League Baseball, playing in 1207 consecutive games between 1973 and 1981, a record that still stands.
Less known about Garvey, are his community service and demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of others.
Garvey succeeded Frank Sinatra as the National Campaign Chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and has continued to act in that role. Since 2015, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fans for the Cure, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about early detection and treatment for prostate cancer. He volunteers his time and assists in causes such as the Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes, The Blind Children Center, the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the ALS Foundation (Lou Gehrig’s Disease.) His volunteer service on boards and committees includes the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, the Catholic University of America, the University of San Diego, The Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Foundation. He is the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s highest honor for humanitarian service.
Garvey’s campaign is focused on quality-of-life issues, public safety, and education. In a recent campaign email, he points out the distress Californians experience in their daily lives:
- Fear of walking down the street, taking their kids to school, or running a small business because of rampant crime, homelessness, and drug addiction.
- The exploding cost of living (gas, food, shelter) which for the first time in our history is causing more people to leave California.
- Failing public schools and plummeting test scores. The numbers don’t lie… prolonged school closings not only robbed our kids of learning but of social interaction.
Garvey brings his campaign to the San Francisco Bay Area in January. He has scheduled a campaign fundraising event on January 18 in Danville. You can sign up to meet Steve by registering for the event using this link. More information about Garvey is available on his campaign website stevegarvey.com.