With all the votes counted in California’s U.S. Senate race, the results were clear: The Republican candidate won by a nearly 9% margin.
That was 1988, and Sen. Pete Wilson had won re-election to what would be his final term before becoming California’s governor.
And that was the last time a Republican was elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
But with former Dodgers star Steve Garvey meeting with GOP officials and weighing a 2024 bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s open seat, the question remains: What would a Republican need to do to have a shot at one of California’s two Senate seats?
Democrats held sizeable advantages over Republicans in more recent U.S. Senate contests in California — if a GOP candidate even made it to the general election since California’s top two vote-getters advance in the primary, no matter the party.
In 2022, Sen. Alex Padilla was elected with a nearly 2.4 million-vote margin over Republican Mark Meuser. And in 2012, Feinstein beat Republican Elizabeth Emken by nearly 3.2 million votes. Two years prior, Republican Carly Fiorina lost to then-Sen. Barbara Boxer by about 1 million votes.
This go-round, with Feinstein not seeking re-election, three prominent Democrats have entered the race: Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
For Republicans, there’s attorney Eric Early, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2018 and 2022 — as well as Congress in 2020 — and a few other contenders with no statewide name ID.
And it looks like Garvey, who played 14 seasons with the Dodgers before he finished with the San Diego Padres for five seasons, may soon join the mix.
“He is interested and giving serious consideration and will make a decision in the next few weeks,” Andy Gharakhani, a veteran consultant who is advising Garvey, said in a text message Thursday.
Democrats hold every statewide office and dominate the legislative and congressional delegations. Republicans — who are outnumbered…
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