Rep. Adam Schiff’s Senate campaign ads are shady. Most voters don’t seem to care | Opinion

Do you know those glossy political campaign mailers plastered with the smiling face of former baseball star Steve Garvey? The ones that talk about the growing support for Garvey, the rookie Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and warned Democrats not to underestimate him?

Well, they aren’t actually from the Garvey camp.

Look closely, and you’ll see they’re paid for and authorized by the Senate campaign of Democrat Adam Schiff, which is spending millions of dollars to make Garvey look like something he’s not: a viable candidate for one of the highest offices in the nation.

Let’s do a little fact-checking: Garvey is a 75-year-old ex-All-Star first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres who has never run for political office, who avoids talking about substantive issues and who has little campaign money and even fewer major endorsements.

A viable candidate? In California?

Not a chance — and that’s exactly why the Schiff campaign is, in effect, underwriting Garvey’s campaign in the hope that he wind up on the November ballot rather than Democrat Katie Porter, who at one point was tied with Schiff in the polls.

Sure, Schiff also is saying some negative things about Garvey. If you actually read the mailers, you’ll see that Schiff accuses Garvey of “pretending” to be a moderate when he voted twice for Donald Trump.

That may be a turnoff for Democrats, but in the eyes of Republicans, it may make Garvey more electable, even if he hasn’t committed to voting for Trump in 2024 and doesn’t have the official blessing of many Republican leaders.

‘He hasn’t picked up a baseball bat in 40 years’

Schiff’s strategy seems to be working; according to a recent Public Policy Institute poll, nearly half of Republicans support Garvey, followed by James Bradley and Eric Early, who each had 10%.

Early — who has been endorsed by several Republican organizations — has been brutally critical of Garvey, who he’s referred to as a “Joe Biden Republican.”

He condemns Garvey for telling Politico that he would consider voting for Joe Biden over Donald Trump. “You know, that comment coming from somebody who calls himself a Republican is disgusting,” Early told Fox 11 news anchor Elex Michaelson.

And yet it’s Garvey who could knock Porter out of the race.

“He’s got name recognition amongst certain people,” Early conceded. “I mean, he hasn’t picked up a baseball bat in 40 years — at least on a baseball field. But it’s disgusting. I’m the only one in this race fighting for the things that matter to all Californians: immigration, indoctrination, inflation, incarceration.”

So much for the jungle primary

This isn’t the first time a candidate has attempted to manipulate voters by raising the profile of a weak opponent in a primary; former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill used the strategy to her advantage in 2012 by “choosing” her Republican opponent, Todd Akin.

But California is different on account of its top-two primary system, which voters adopted in 2010. In a top-two primary — often referred to as a jungle primary — all candidates appear on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation, and the top two advance to the general election.

It’s supposed to help ensure that two viable candidates make it to the runoff, rather than having a meaningless election between a Democrat and a Republican who has no chance of winning, given California’s political demographics.

It could be argued that Schiff is violating the spirit of the jungle primary with his deceptive advertising. And yet he continues to lead in the polls though It is true that some Democrats — especially Porter supporters — aren’t happy.

“Schiff’s campaign tactics are a complete turnoff, using the malleable Republican Steve Garvey to gang up on Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine),” a Los Angeles Times reader wrote in a letter to the editor.

On the other hand, some Democrats don’t want to see a Porter vs. Schiff runoff. They believe it would eat up too much campaign funding — money that would be better spent supporting Congressional candidates in California’s swing districts.

Who’s really the ‘dangerous’ Republican?

Porter initially condemned Schiff’s gambit as a “brazenly cynical” strategy intended to box out qualified Democratic women candidates. Yet now she’s using the same tactic by promoting Early as the true conservative in the race, presumably to take some GOP votes away from Garvey and restore her own standing in the polls.

“There is a Republican that is dangerous in this race,” she said in the final debate, “and that’s Trump Republican Eric Early who has said he will be 100% MAGA at all times.”

It’s hard to say whether Porter’s counterattack will have any effect. It’s a little late to try to claw votes away from Garvey, and Porter has been criticized for condemning Schiff’s tactics — and then turning around and doing the same.

Another thing to consider: This is predicted to be a low turnout race; there’s even been speculation that Garvey could come in first since three strong Democrats — Schiff, Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee — will split the liberal vote.

Wouldn’t that be something if Garvey came out on top — thanks at least in part to the boost he’s gotten from Schiff?

Maybe those glossy mailers are right after all. Don’t underestimate Steve Garvey.