Dodgers legend considering running for Senate seat in 2024

Steve Garvey, a former 10-time All-Star first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, is considering running for a United States Senate seat that will open in 2024.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Garvey had been contacted by Republican and Democratic donors but has ultimately decided he would run as a Republican. An adviser to Garvey said that should he choose to run, he'll focus on quality-of-life issues, including public safety and the rising cost of living.

Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat senator who was elected to the office in 1992, will not seek re-election in 2024. The 89-year-old former mayor of San Francisco is currently the oldest member of the upper chamber, and concerns about her ability to serve have grown in recent years due to her declining health. Not long after her announcement that she won't run in 2024, several prominent Democrats in the state — notably Representatives Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — said that they planned to run to succeed her. 

With more registered Democrat voters than Republicans, any GOP candidate would be considered a long shot for statewide office. Given that the first primaries for the election are not until next March, fundraising will be critical for any Republican candidate despite the underdog status.

Garvey, it appears, is leaning on his name recognition against a wide pool of Republican candidates. One strategist told the Times:

“Garvey was a sports legend a generation ago, but that’s who makes up the electorate,” said GOP strategist Rob Stutzman, a former adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who describes Garvey as “my childhood hero” but has no involvement in his effort. “And he was huge in two markets. He was a hero in Los Angeles as well as in San Diego for the Padres. He did a ton of advertising over the years. He’s a very well-known former athlete in California, and, assuming a strong and competent candidacy, I think he would absolutely have the opportunity to consolidate the Republican vote in the primary.”

Garvey played for the Dodgers from 1969-1982, where he won the National League MVP in 1974, earned four Gold Gloves and tallied eight of his 10 All-Star selections. He went on to the Padres for five seasons, where he would gain his remaining All-Star selections.