Former President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he did not endorse Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey of California because the former MLB star did not contact him.
In an interview with reporters in Los Angeles, Trump was asked why he had not yet endorsed Garvey, who is running to fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein in November.
“I don’t know much about Steve Garvey,” Trump responded, according to a KTLA report. “I think he made a big mistake because he didn’t reach out to MAGA. And if he doesn’t have MAGA, he doesn’t have a chance.”
Asked if Garvey had asked Trump for his support, the former president said: “I haven’t spoken to him.”
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“I hear he wants MAGA support, but he has to call me,” Trump said. “But if he had MAGA support, he could win. If he had a fair election, he would have won. But this is not a fair election.”
Garvey, the former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres first baseman, 10-time All-Star, 1974 National League MVP and 1981 World Series winner, is running against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who holds a clear lead in the polls.
According to a poll conducted by Emerson College from September 3-5, Schiff led the race by 22 points (55% to 33%). RealClearPolling found that Schiff had an average lead of 24.3 points across all polls.
Garvey, nicknamed Mr. Clean during his playing days, said in a statement to Newsweek Friday, “since day one I have run a different type of campaign, I have not taken or asked for a single political endorsement, the only endorsements I want are from the law enforcement and first responder community.”
“I am focused, and have always been focused, on the issues that matter to Californians: affordability, public safety, securing the border, solving the homelessness crisis, and restoring California’s leadership,” the statement continued. “I am running a ‘Steve Garvey’ campaign for all Californians, not for partisan or special interests.”
Garvey supported Trump in 2016 and told KTLA in July that he would vote for Trump in November “right now.”
Schiff has been a public critic of Trump for years. The Democrat was the lead impeachment manager in Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019 and served on the House Jan. 6 Committee that investigated Trump’s actions surrounding the 2021 siege of the U.S. Capitol by the former president’s supporters.
Trump has attacked Schiff before, giving him nicknames like “sneaky Schiff” and “little Adam Schiff.”
“You have one of the most corrupt politicians in history,” the Republican presidential candidate told reporters Friday. “And to think he’s going to be a senator, that’s why you need me as president.”
