Steve Garvey, a 75-year-old former baseball star, will try to surprise California Republicans. The former Dodger athlete advanced in the Super Tuesday primary to the Nov. 5 special election. The seat of the legendary Dianne Feinstein, who died last September and had been in office since 1992, and Congressman Adam Schiff, who became a central figure in the first impeachment trial against Donald Trump, will then be elected – the rival who needs to be beaten in the competition.
Schiff surpassed one million votes (34%) this Tuesday evening, while Garvey received 933,000 (30%) votes and 39% of the votes were counted. It was a very close primary on the Democratic side. Schiff faced two congressmen, progressives Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, who won 17% and 9%, respectively. In California, all candidates compete in the same process and the two candidates with the most votes advance on the night, regardless of whether they belong to the same party.
This voting style is leading Democrats to try new strategies to reduce a campaign that leaves them open to fire from their friends. That's why Schiff's campaign has invested about $10 million in advertising against Steve Garvey in recent weeks. In his ads, the congressman linked the Los Angeles Dodgers star to Donald Trump and right-wing politics. This increased the public profile of Garvey, who was the last person to enter the race in October. The ad also suggested that Garvey was the rival to beat in the liberal bastion.
Congresswoman Porter, who became known for her didactic interventions in the House of Representatives, accuses her counterpart of choosing this strategy in order to avoid competing with her in November. Laphonza Butler, a union activist, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last fall to fill the vacancy left by Feinstein. Butler announced that he would not run in the election, leaving Schiff, Porter and Lee a clear winner in the tight race.
Polls suggest it will be an easy election for Schiff, a former prosecutor who has represented the city of Burbank, north of Los Angeles, for years. Polls show him at 53%, compared to 38% for Garvey. California has 22 million registered voters. 43% are registered as Democrats, compared to 24% as Republicans. Californians have not elected a local federal office from a conservative party since 2006.
Garvey celebrated the results at an event in the city of Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. “That was the first double game,” the new politician told the press. “The second game could be great… I'm sure it will be very exciting for all of you. Now there will be competition,” the candidate added.
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Biden and Trump win easily
California, the biggest prize of the night, was awarded quickly and without surprises. It took less than 15 minutes after schools closed for television networks and the AP agency to declare Joe Biden and Donald Trump the winners of the primaries. After the state, only Alaska's results remain to finish the day.
California is sending 424 Democratic delegates to the convention, which will be held in Chicago in August. The state does not divide delegates among candidates. The winner-takes-all principle applies. Biden is 679 away from reaching the magic number of 1,968 to secure the nomination.
On the Republican side, Trump is closing in on his third presidential bid thanks to the 169 delegates at stake. According to forecasts, the former president can secure his party's nomination on March 12, when the states Georgia, Washington and Mississippi hold their primaries.
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