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Fans of 2 of California’s 5 MLB teams support Steve Garvey. Which ones?

Steve Garvey portrait
Former Dodgers standout Steve Garvey hopes baseball fans in California will support him in his U.S. Senate bid. Two MLB team fan bases might be more in his corner than the others.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Steve Garvey is not shy about leaning into his baseball stardom as he runs for the U.S. Senate. Garvey has been officially enshrined as a “Legend of Dodger Baseball,” and his uniform number has been retired by the San Diego Padres, but he threw his cap in the campaign ring only after he believed he could win statewide support.

“A Giants fan came up to me,” he told The Times last October, “and said, ‘Garvey, I hate the Dodgers, but I’ll vote for you.’ ”

The primary election is one month away, with the top two finishers advancing to the November final. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is favored by 25% of likely voters, with Garvey and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) tied at 15% each and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) fourth at 7%, according to a poll released Thursday by USC, Long Beach State, and Cal Poly Pomona.

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Two of Garvey’s children say he has declined to meet with them, while his eldest daughter says he cut her and her children off without explanation.

Feb. 1, 2024

The poll asked likely voters to identify their favorite California baseball team, then broke down the voting preferences accordingly. Garvey is running as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. The counties that are home to California’s five major league teams all have more registered Democrats than Republicans — more so in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Alameda counties; less so in Orange and San Diego counties, according to the secretary of state’s office.

That said, who do the fans of your team prefer?

Dodgers: Schiff 29%, Garvey 16%, Porter 15%, Lee 3%

Angels: Garvey 25%, Porter 22%, Schiff 15%, Lee 2%

Padres: Garvey 26%, Lee 15%, Schiff 15%, Porter 10%

Giants: Schiff 33%, Garvey 15%, Porter 14%, Lee 11%

A’s: Schiff 22%, Porter 18%, Garvey 13%, Lee 11%

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