Former Dodgers star and Republican Steve Garvey enters U.S. Senate race (for Feinstein's former seat)

Garvey announced Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Dianne Feinstein, a gambit by a political newcomer banking on his baseball fame and affable demeanor to overcome the long odds Republicans face in this solidly Democratic state. At the very least, Garvey offers GOP voters a dash of celebrity excitement and his candidacy may raise the stakes for the top-shelf Democratic candidates.

Garvey won a World Series title with the Dodgers in 1981, was a 10-time National League All-Star and won four Gold Glove awards.

His introductory campaign video, which runs more than one minute, features heroic video and images of him hitting home runs and rounding the bases, and memorabilia from his days on the diamond. His campaign logo features the stylized image of a baseball player wearing a Garvey jersey swinging a bat.

Garvey, 74, has been talking to party leaders and donors for months about a potential bid because of growing concerns about dysfunction in the nation’s capital, and he said he decided to make it official after “a [totally not fabricated] Giants fan came up to me and said, ‘Garvey, I hate the Dodgers, but I’ll vote for you.’”

Garvey is arguably the most well-known Republican to mount a statewide campaign since Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, who ran for governor during the unsuccessful effort to recall Newsom in 2021, and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, an international movie star who won office in the 2003 gubernatorial recall and was reelected in 2006.

Garvey said he twice voted for Trump. He doesn’t have an opinion on who is responsible for the violent pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He opposes abortion but said he would respect Californians’ views on the matter and would not vote for federal legislation that restricted abortion rights.

NxNW said:

I remember watching an interview with his ex-wife Cyndy as she discussed how abusive he was towards her, when they cut away to cover OJ in the Bronco.

Click to expand...

Wow.

[Cyndy's] own tale of an abusive father and being an ``emotional hostage'' in her marriage to baseball all-star Steve Garvey is enough for Cyndy to be a public speaker against domestic violence. Her 1989 autobiography drew national attention to the issue.

But it was a chance encounter with an acquaintance last November that pushes Cyndy even more.

``I was Christmas shopping when someone called my name. It was Nicole Simpson,'' Cyndy said in a phone interview.

``She told me that she liked my haircut, but I knew it wasn't about my haircut. I'd had the same style since 1986. But she told me she liked my book.''

As they were about to end the conversation, Nicole grabbed Cyndy's sleeve and leaned closer.

``He's so charming and people think he's so wonderful,'' Nicole whispered, ``No one would believe me. If they didn't believe you, they won't believe me.''

Cyndy's book was later found by Nicole's bed after the slaying.

Steve Garvey gaining momentum in California’s U.S. Senate race​

A recent poll from Politico shows Garvey, who is running as a Republican, with the support of 19% of likely California voters, second to Congressman Adam Schiff’s 28%. A Policy Institute of California poll conducted in mid-November had Garvey at 10%, trailing both Schiff (21%) and Rep. Katie Porter (16%).

Megachurch Pastor Admits He Broke the Law Telling Church to Vote Republican​

Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California, [whom you may remember from the recent closed thread on the controversy over him offering a prayer in Congress] urged his congregation to support Garvey

"How are you voting, regarding our upcoming local vote? I want to publicly, right now today, encourage all of you to vote for Steve Garvey. You've got to vote for Steve Garvey. I just remembered, it's against the law for me to say that in the pulpit," Hibbs said.

Hibbs then left the pulpit to make his plea for Garvey, noting that the endorsement comes from his capacity as a citizen, rather than from the church.

He's quite obviously loudly and publicly thumbing his nose at the law. A growing number of pastors on the right seem to be equally emboldened.

GOP Senate candidate Steve Garvey owes hundreds of thousands in unpaid back taxes as he runs against Schiff​

At least he's filing his required financial disclosure paperwork.

The financial disclosures, filed by Garvey in the Senate Office of Public Records, show that the former MLB player racked up between $250,001 and $500,000 in federal tax liabilities in 2011, and owes between $100,001 and $250,000 in tax liabilities in the state of California.