We remember Steve Garvey as consistent, a tough hitter, good glove, and very popular with the fans. I hope that we remember him as the politician who brought common sense to California. Garvey is running for office and that's a good thing. Here is the story:

No Republican has been elected to statewide office in California for nearly two decades. The last was former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a larger-than-life body builder and international movie star who won office in the 2003 gubernatorial recall the same year his blockbuster "Terminator 3" came out in theaters. Schwarzenegger was reelected in 2006.

More recently, Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, a well-known Republican, attempted to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom during his 2021 recall, but that campaign quickly fizzled and was never very serious to begin with.

Other deep-pocketed Californians made it to the general election ballot only to be trounced on Election Day. Billionaire Meg Whitman, the former eBay CEO, lost to Gov. Jerry Brown 41% to 54% in 2010. Former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate the same year and, despite a strong showing in presidential primary debates, lost her bid for the GOP nomination six years later.

Despite these long odds, Garvey says California’s steep decline when it comes to crime, fentanyl overdoses, homelessness, education, and a mass exodus of residents provides an opening for a candidate who isn’t a partisan foot soldier or a career politician.

At least, he won't have to spend a lot of money on name recognition. He also runs for office at a time when things are not going well in the Golden State. My biggest question is how many of his fans still live in California? A lot of people have moved out and that has contributed to the collapse of the GOP. In other words, this is not the same California that cheered his baseball exploits in the late 1970s and the early 1980s.

The odds are against him, but I wouldn't underestimate Garvey. He is super popular and should be able to reach a lot more voters than a typical GOP candidate out there.

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Image: Arturo Pardavila III