A Republican candidate appears to be throwing a wrench into a U.S. Senate race where three prominent Democrats are running in an open primary that’s just months away, according to a Thursday poll.
The candidates are running for the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat in California, which is currently occupied by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointee, Laphonza Butler, who decided against running for a full term in 2024.
Former baseball star Steve Garvey, the Republican, received 19 percent support in a Morning Consult/Politico survey among likely primary voters, placing second behind only Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff with 28 percent.
The Republican polled ahead of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, who garnered 17 percent and 14 percent support, respectively.
In the March 5 primary, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.
Garvey could effectively boot Porter and Lee from competing with Schiff in the general if he were to place in second for the open primary, which would likely mean that Schiff would win the Senate seat.
The Cook Political Report characterizes the seat as in the “Solid D” category. California went for President Joe Biden in 2020 by nearly 30 points.
With Biden at the top of the ticket in 2024 and California being a predominately blue state, Schiff would be expected to win in the general election.
If the Republican places second in the primary, Schiff wouldn’t have to face another Democrat in a head-to-head matchup.
Would you like to see Garvey defeat Schiff?
Schiff, Porter and Lee have been running for the seat for the majority of the year, while Garvey jumped into the race in early October. Most polls have found Schiff leading by several points, according to RealClearPolitics’ survey compilation.
While Garvey has yet to report fundraising totals, the Democrats have all brought in millions for the race so far, according to the Federal Election Commission filings.
Porter and Schiff have totaled $22.1 million and $21.5 million for the race already, while Lee has brought in $3.4 million.
Garvey is aiming to run a “common sense” campaign in the blue state, where he starred with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Meanwhile, the Democrats largely cater to the left wing of their party.
If Butler, the former president of the pro-abortion group EMILYs List, were to run, she would pose a serious threat to Schiff’s campaign, as she has an extensive political network and massive fundraising capabilities and would have an incumbency advantage.
The campaigns for Garvey, Schiff, Porter and Lee did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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