Former MLB star Steve Garvey loses the race for US Senate in California

LOS ANGELES – Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey lost Tuesday to Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff in the race for the California U.S. Senate seat long held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Garvey had sought to parlay his sports celebrity into a political upset of the Los Angeles-area congressman who gained national fame as the lead prosecutor in the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump.

In a year when control of the Senate is at stake, Democrats had the advantage of easily holding the seat in the liberal-leaning state, which has not had a Republican candidate since 1988, when President Ronald Reagan was in the White House more won a Senate election. For months, Schiff had a lead over Garvey in campaign finance and polling.

Garvey, a former MVP and all-time All-Star who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, described himself as a “conservative moderate” who should not be pigeonholed into traditional political labels, favoring independent and soft-spoken Democratic voters What is evident is a state where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1.

Schiff focused his campaign on national issues such as abortion rights, but continued to play a foil to Trump, calling the former president a threat to democracy. He also compared his years of experience in Congress – Schiff was first elected to the House in 2000 – to Garvey, a first-time candidate who positioned himself as an outsider with a fresh perspective on tackling California's long-running homelessness crisis. Inflation and housing costs.

Garvey said in a concession speech that his campaign has succeeded in drawing attention to issues ranging from rising crime to rampant spending on homelessness that has produced little results.

“We have taken a position on the impact on California,” Garvey said.

Speaking to supporters, Schiff promised to work in the Senate to promote safer neighborhoods and better schools and reduce the threat of climate change. California faces difficulties, he said, but “together there is no challenge we cannot overcome.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.