As voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday, California's Senate race is taking center stage as an unlikely Republican candidate, former MLB star Steve Garvey, gains popularity against likely November opponent , Adam Schiff.
“Golden Together” founder and Fox News contributor Steve Hilton told “America's Newsroom” that the turn of events has “massively surprised” Democrats as California voters fight state issues stemming from immigration and homelessness.
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“They are enormously surprised because they are incredibly arrogant,” Hilton told Dana Perino on Tuesday.
“They assume California is just an all-Democratic one-party state. Republicans don't stand a chance. That was their attitude when Steve Garvey entered the race and the assumption among the California political press and all the Democrats was 'well, it's It'll be Adam Schiff and Katie Porter,' but what it tells you is that this state, my beautiful home state of California, is much more Republican than people think.”
“Garvey has been helped by the fact that we have this top-two system, which means the top two finishers, regardless of the match, go through,” he continued. “Because of his arrogance, because they assume a Republican can't win…Adam Schiff has been spending enormous amounts of money to try to get Steve Garvey into the general election because he assumes he's going to have an easy victory.” .
California voters will cast their ballots Tuesday to fill the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat, which is currently being temporarily filled by Laphonza Butler. Four candidates are vying for her seat: Reps. Schiff, Porter and Barbara Lee, along with Garvey, who is the only Republican in the race.
Garvey has reached a “statistical tie” against Schiff, according to a survey by UC Berkeley's Institute of Government Studies. The data indicates that 27% of voters would support Garvey compared to 25% for Schiff, a sharp increase from January data.
Whichever of the four candidates receives the award highest number of votes in Tuesday's primaries will advance to the November general election, regardless of which party each candidate represents.
Rep. Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey are competing for the California Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Diane Feinstein. (Getty Images)
“People are sick and tired of what's been happening on every issue,” Hilton said.
“Obviously, the big problems that we see, and very vividly on our screens all the time, crime and homelessness, people are fed up with that. But when you look at each of the issues, California is performing very poorly. “We have the highest taxes, but also the greatest poverty.”
“We spend more per student in our public schools. We have the worst literacy in the United States. Over and over again on every subject. People want to change, but what they are looking for is something positive, an alternative,” he continued.
“When you listen to Steve Garvey talk, he's a very positive person. He talks about the California Dream, what it means to him and his family. I feel exactly the same way. People are looking for hope here in California.”
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Garvey, a former 10-time MLB All-Star, told “Fox & Friends” on Monday that Californians are “angry” about the state's Democratic leadership.
“They're not going to take it anymore,” the Dodgers' veteran first baseman said, adding that the state's voters know “his heart” and believe he will represent their best interests.
