Former Dodgers MVP Steve Garvey mulling bid for Feinstein Senate seat: report

Former Los Angeles Dodgers MVP Steve Garvey is considering a bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) Senate seat after she retires following the 2024 elections, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. 

Several GOP state party insiders and operatives told the outlet that Garvey, who played first base for the Dodgers and San Diego Padres for nearly 20 years beginning in the late 1960s, would run as a Republican. They said he has been meeting with Republican donors and leaders throughout the state and will likely decide whether to run in about the next month. 

Andy Gharakhani, a Republican strategist who is advising Garvey, confirmed to the Times that Garvey is considering running. 

“He is being contacted by leaders up and down the state,” Gharakhani said. “They’re recruiting him to run from both sides, Republican and Democrat, and he’s seriously considering it.”

The strategist also said Garvey would run on issues surrounding the cost of living and public safety. 

Several prominent Democrats have already thrown their hat into the ring to run for the seat being vacated by Feinstein, who has held the seat for three decades. Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee have all declared their bids for the seat. 

Eric Early, a Los Angeles attorney, is also running for the seat as a Republican. 

Multiple people who spoke to Garvey told the Times that he is aware of the steep odds he is facing to win in California — a state where registered Democrats overwhelmingly outnumber registered Republicans. But he said the GOP needs to have a prominent name leading its ticket for the seat. 

California’s electoral system provides for the two top-performing candidates from the primary to advance to the general election, regardless of party identification. 

A World Series champion with the Dodgers in 1981, Garvey is a 10-time All Star and won four Gold Glove awards during his career.