Steve Garvey Announces Candidacy For U.S. Senate, Joins OutKick For An Exclusive Conversation

Former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star first baseman Steve Garvey has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the state of California.

Earlier this year, reports suggested Garvey was considering running, with Tuesday's announcement making it official.

READ: FORMER DODGER STEVE GARVEY CONSIDERING RUN FOR U.S. SENATE

OutKick had an exclusive conversation with the 74-year-old former National League MVP winner, to learn more about what he hopes to accomplish and what he's heard from Californians about the future of the state.

When asked how he would assess the job Gavin Newsom's done as governor of California, Garvey said that he hopes Newsom uses "common sense" to make decisions for the people, as he would.

"Well as with any elected official, I support them, I pray for them, I hope they make good solid decisions that are the best for the people, that they use common sense," Garvey said. "A position like a governor represents all the people, and I just hope that he gets up like I would as a Senator, and represents all the people to the best of my ability."

California has also infamously and dramatically taken massive steps backwards in quality of life. Crime has risen in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, cost of living has forced hundreds of thousands of people out of the state, and inflation and poor economic conditions have set families back. Garvey believes he can help restore what made the state so successful in the first place.

"Well I think it's about we the people standing up, and I think that's the big decision I made," he said. "I was better than just sitting and listening and complaining that our quality of life should be better. I decided to stand up, to take who I am and who the people of California and this country know as somebody who will represent them with good common sense and compassion and consensus."

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: The inaugural class of (l-R) Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Garvey and Don Newcombe · have been named to the inaugural "Legends of Dodgers Baseball" during a pre-game ceremony at Dodger Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Steve Garvey Wants To Bring New Perspective, Better Leadership To Bring California Back

Garvey also spoke about the importance of leading for all Californians, something that many politicians, especially career politicians, have failed to do in recent years.

"If I can get back to the Senate," Garvey said. "I'll be able to start building coalitions, my first step will be to meet with each one of the Senators so that I know them and they know me, and let's get away from partisan politics, lets get away from the business of politics, and lets get back to doing what's best for this country and its people."

For the first time in California history, people are leaving the state. Thanks in large part to the politics of those who've led it for decades. Garvey believes by reaching out to individuals and finding out what really matters to them, he'll be able to help stem the tide with a "new wave" of momentum for the state.

"Well that's maybe one of the things that I can do, when we start this 5 month discussion up until the primaries and then another five months up until the general election," he said. "I'm going to reintroduce myself to Californians who we may not have met before, you may not have seen me play, and we'll talk about the quality of your life, and I'll talk about how I think that I can go back to Washington and initiate a new wave of being a politician that puts the California, the people of this country first. I've seen people all over the country who have moved to Nashville, to Idaho, even to Texas and my former home state of Florida. And when I see them, they go, 'oh another Californian, we miss California.' And I said, 'so how is it for you?' 'We made the right decision, we're looking for an opportunity to come back and maybe I can be a voice in making that opportunity happen."

Garvey also said that there's been "such a malaise" that's taken over California, that people seem ready for new leadership and new voices. And he believes he'll have the support of other athletes and those in the sports and entertainment world as well.

"Lots of friends obviously in the sports world and entertainment" have reached out to him or encouraged him to run or given him advice.

Garvey's upcoming campaign is relying on a phrase he took from sports as well, namely former legendary Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda: "you've gotta believe."

After years of failure from California leadership, believing in someone who wants to be a voice for all of its 39 million residents seems like a much better choice than continuing down the same path that got the state into the mess it's in now.