During a visit to the state on Friday, former President Trump refused to endorse Republican candidate Steve Garvey, saying Garvey had not asked for his endorsement.
“I don’t know much about Steve Garvey,” Trump said, “but I think he made a big mistake by not going after MAGA. Without MAGA, you have no chance.”
Trump made the remarks ahead of a fundraiser scheduled for Friday afternoon in the Bay Area.
Trump also contradicted himself by saying Garvey could win if he got the “MAGA support” but then said he couldn’t win in California because the state didn’t have a fair election.
“If we had an honest election, he would have won. But we’re not having an honest election,” Trump said.
Responding to Trump’s comments, Garvey said he was running a “different type of campaign” and “does not accept or seek any political endorsements” other than from “law enforcement and emergency responders.”
Garvey said he would reach out to California’s Latino community and focus on “the issues that really matter to Californians: housing affordability, public safety, border security, solving homelessness and restoring leadership for California.”
Mr. Trump also attacked Mr. Garvey’s opponent in the Senate race, Rep. Adam B. Schiff. The Burbank Democrat has long been one of Mr. Trump’s biggest opponents, leading the investigations into Mr. Trump’s first impeachment for his campaign ties to Russia and for seeking political favors from Ukraine, as well as his second impeachment for inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump called Schiff “one of the most despicable politicians in history” and “one of the most disgusting human beings.”
“I can’t believe he’s a senator,” Trump said, “and that’s why I need to be president, because this man is a scoundrel. I can’t believe Adam Schiff represents this region.”
Schiff has consistently defended his job as standing up to a “corrupt president”, and on Friday posted a video of Trump making new attacks, writing: “I don’t think he likes me.”
Trump responded by calling Garvey a “good guy” but saying he “doesn’t know him at all.” He said he has never spoken to Garvey, but suggested he call him.
Being too involved with Trump could be seen as a potential negative in California, where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage, but Trump has an advantage there: Trump lost California nearly 2-to-1 in 2020, but still won the state by 6 million votes.
Garvey has acknowledged voting for Trump many times in the past, something Schiff is happy to point out, but the Republican has tried to move the Senate race away from Trump.
“I am running the ‘Steve Garvey’ campaign not for partisan or special interests, but for all Californians,” Garvey said Friday.
