Backers of Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff's Senate bid will spend millions of dollars in television ads focused solely on Republican candidate Steve Garvey ahead of the March 5 California primary. are planning to spend .

The ad helped Mr. Garvey, a former All-Star first baseman with the Dodgers, garner enough support among California Republicans to overtake his Democratic primary rival, Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine. That could be helpful and could make it easier for the congressman to win from Burbank. Win the general election in November.

But experts believe efforts by Mr. Schiff and his allies to back Mr. Garvey, including one announced Friday morning by a PAC supporting the congressman, will help the political newcomer. The media barrage, combined with Garvey's celebrity from his time with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres, may be enough to ensure he gets one of the top two spots in the primary. .

Experts say Mr. Garvey simply needs to stay the course, even though he has little campaign capital and few ways to get his message across other than media appearances.

“Other Republicans aren't speaking to voters. There's no other Republican that has the name or the prestige element here,” said the Republican strategist who advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others. said Rob Stutzman. So if “Republican voters solidify around him,” Garvey could win enough votes to advance to the general election.

“I think there's a scenario where if Mr. Schiff does too well, Mr. Garvey could become the top vote-getter,” Stutzman said.

Stutzman believes Schiff's ads could help boost Garvey's support to 20% of the primary vote.

polling from Last month, before the ad aired, the UC Berkeley Institute of Government found that 21% of likely voters supported Mr. Schiff, compared with 17% for Mr. Porter and 13% for Mr. Garvey. I made it.

Under California's primary system, the two most popular candidates in the March election advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Democrats have a history of trying to push Republicans into one of the top two spots to create an easy race, given the overwhelming Democratic voter registration advantage in the state. be.

On Friday, the Schiff-backed Independent Expenditure Committee, which is funded by wealthy individuals, labor unions and Native American tribes, said it could accept unlimited donations but could not coordinate with candidates' campaigns. , launched a 30-second ad criticizing Garvey as “too conservative for California.” The ad notes that his two votes for Trump could tip the balance in the Senate and “advance Trump's MAGA agenda.”

“This is about holding Steve Garvey accountable for voting for Trump and his MAGA policy twice,” said Steve Garvey, executive director of Standing Strong PAC, which funds TV ads across the state. , said Kyle Layman. “He cannot be allowed to reinvent himself and hide his conservative MAGA values ​​in the lead-up to the general election. California voters need to know who Mr. Garvey really is. ”

This comes in addition to similar television ads by Schiff's campaign, reinforcing the mailer's message and targeting digital ads to Republican voters in deeply conservative parts of the state.

Republican Congressman Joe Patterson, who lives in the pro-Trump city of Rocklin in Placer County, said he received a mailing from Schiff's campaign highlighting “a leading Republican candidate, Steve Garvey,” and Facebook ads in his feed. He said it has arrived. The document references Garvey's support for Trump and says the candidate is “too conservative for California.”

Patterson said he was undecided whether he would race, but said the tactic was wise.

“This may be the first Democratic mailer I've ever received,” he said. “Honestly, I can't stand Adam Schiff. But I have some kind of respect for this. It's a dog move.”

Garvey's campaign, which did not appear on the air and is reported to have $300,000 in cash at the end of 2023, criticized Democratic efforts to boost his candidacy.

“Steve Garvey's campaign has been, and will continue to be, not a run-of-the-mill political prop, but a rallying cry for all Californians for common-sense, compassionate solutions to the real problems of today. “That's the goal,” said spokesman Matt Shupe. “Californians are tired of this divisive rhetoric that tries to divide us into simple buckets against ourselves, rather than uniting us in a common purpose to make life better for all.” This is why Steve Garvey continues to rise in the polls.”

Both Schiff and Porter's campaigns declined to comment.

Mr. Porter criticized Mr. Schiff's move to back Mr. Garvey as cynical and misleading. Her latest TV spot shows excerpts from Schiff's Garvey ads. narrator “This advertisement? A typical politician…”

This week, Porter launched policy initiatives on housing and homelessness, which voters consistently rate as the most urgent issues. The 10-point plan includes creating a housing task force to explore ways to help Californians on fixed incomes, such as seniors and college students, afford housing.

“Instead of playing cynical political games and trying to take away that choice, I think we should focus on communicating directly with voters about what we're going to do for California,” Porter recently told FOX 11. Told.

The problem is that even before the independent committee released its plan on Friday, Mr. Schiff had already announced that Mr. Porter's three That means they were spending twice as much on TV advertising. In the race.

Porter ended 2023 with $13.2 million in Senate campaign funds. Mr. Schiff's holdings were $34.9 million.

Adam Probolsky, an Orange County-based pollster who has worked for Democrats and Republicans, said Porter's financial strength gives him a chance to beat Garvey and finish in the top two in the primary. He said there is. He said Porter needs to keep her own message on the airwaves and emphasize that she is a younger candidate with more innovative ideas.

“Katie Porter is everywhere attacking the system, and we need to keep it that way,” he said, noting that California is one of the most expensive media markets in the nation. “It's really about money. I wish there was something else, but this is a very large state.”