Former President Trump declined to endorse Republican candidate Steve Garvey in the U.S. Senate race in California during a stop in the state on Friday, saying the former Dodger has not asked for his support.
“I don’t know much about Steve Garvey,” Trump said. “I think he’s made a big mistake because he hasn’t reached out to MAGA, and if he doesn’t have MAGA he has no chance.”
Trump made his comments during an event at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course, ahead of a planned fundraising event in the Bay Area on Friday afternoon.
Trump continued to contradict himself by saying that Garvey could win if he got “MAGA endorsement,” but also that Garvey couldn’t win because California doesn’t have fair elections.
“If there was an honest election, he would win, but there is no honest election,” Trump said.
Responding to Trump’s comments, Garvey said he was running “a different kind of campaign” in which he “has not accepted or asked for any political endorsements” other than “from the law enforcement and emergency services community.”
Garvey said his goal is to reach out to California’s Latino community and “the issues that really matter to Californians: affordability, public safety, securing the border, solving the homeless crisis and restoring California’s leadership.”
Trump also attacked Garvey’s opponent in the Senate race, Rep. Adam B. Schiff. The Burbank Democrat has been one of Trump’s chief antagonists for years, helping lead the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, Trump’s first impeachment for soliciting political favors from Ukraine and his second impeachment for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump called Schiff “one of the sleaziest politicians in history” and “one of the most disgusting human beings.”
“And to think he’s going to be a senator,” Trump said. “That’s why they need me as president, because this guy is a scoundrel. It’s unbelievable that Adam Schiff represents this area.”
Schiff has consistently defended his work as a way to confront a “corrupt president.”
By comparison, Trump called Garvey a “nice guy” but also said he “doesn’t know him at all.” He said he hasn’t spoken to Garvey, but suggested Garvey should call him.
Associating too closely with Trump could be seen as a potential liability in California, where Democrats hold a sizable advantage in voter registration. That said, Trump retains strong support among the state’s Republicans. Trump lost by nearly 2-1 in California in 2020 but still received 6 million votes.
Garvey has acknowledged voting for Trump repeatedly in the past, something Schiff has been happy to point out. But the Republican has tried to steer the Senate race in his favor.
On Friday, Garvey said he is “running a ‘Steve Garvey’ campaign for all the people of California, not for partisan or special interests.”
