Senate hopeful Schiff says Garvey was great baseball player, but 'it's not the same skills'
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With less than 150 days until the general election in November, the race for California's open seat in the Senate is heating up.
On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Adam Schiff shored up support among union workers while Republican candidate Steve Garvey was in Washington. Schiff visited an ironworkers training center in La Palma with Union Local 416, relying on strong union support to become California's next senator.
He says higher wages negotiated by unions allow those who build our infrastructure to afford to live in California communities.
In a Public Policy Institute of California poll of likely voters released earlier this month, Schiff is ahead of Garvey by 25 points.
"I support their ability to work together to bargain for good healthcare, a retirement, to be able to provide for their family," said Schiff. "I don't think Mr. Garvey particularly cares about those things. Not very supportive at all of working people, let alone labor, and I think that is a big distinguishing factor."
In a statement, Garvey said in part, "As a proud former member of the Major League Baseball Players Association and SAG-AFTRA, I understand the importance of fair treatment and advocacy for workers. My policy priorities include fostering economic growth, reducing the cost of living, and creating a business environment where both small businesses and labor can thrive together. We need to protect our working families and provide them with the tools they need to succeed, rather than burden them with excessive regulations and taxes that stifle job creation and economic opportunity."
Both candidates have spent the past few months fundraising before campaigning heats up this fall ahead of the Nov. 5 runoff election.
Last week, Garvey was in Washington D.C. where he attended the Congressional Baseball Game.
The Garvey campaign released a new video that shows Garvey in his Dodgers uniform - not just with Republicans, but Democrats, too.
"He was a great baseball player. I take nothing away from his performance as a baseball player. It's not the same skills," Schiff responded. "He's probably a good person to go to if you want information about the designated hitter rule, but if you want to know how do we build things in California, how do we get things done, how do we address public safety challenges - he doesn't have any idea."
For this race and the other November contests, early voting starts in just over three months.
