A week out from the primary, former baseball star and only Republican contender Steve Garvey is holding third place in California’s Senate race, narrowly trailing a prominent House Democrat.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll released Friday found Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) at 19%, while 18% favor Garvey. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has a clear advantage in California’s Senate race, coming in at 24%, while Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) is far behind the top three contenders, at 10%.
Garvey’s support has increased by 8 percentage points since December, while support for Schiff has risen by 4 percentage points and Porter’s by 3 percentage points. Garvey jumped into the race to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein much later than his Democratic opponents but has since surged in statewide polling. In the Democratic stronghold of California, 49% of Republicans would vote for Garvey, Schiff and Porter sharing 19% of independents’ support, with 15% for Garvey.
Garvey’s campaign team noted the poll was conducted from Feb. 6 to 13, before the final two primary debates and a majority of the spending.
“This poll was done Feb 6-13, which is effectively before the last 2 #CASen debates and a bulk of the spending. They also ask adults, not registered or likely voters. They ask adults if they plan on voting, which is unreliable. Unfortunately, this poll was obsolete upon arrival,” Garvey campaign spokesman Matt Shupe wrote on X.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Last week, a California Politics/Emerson College/Nexstar Media poll — conducted from Feb. 16 to 18, after the first two debates but before the final one — showed Garvey at 22% and Porter at 16% among likely voters. Schiff continued to lead with 28%, while Lee saw single digits at 9%.
California holds a “top two” open primary system, meaning the two highest-ranking candidates, regardless of party, in the March 5 primary will appear on the ballot in November.
