Former baseball star Steve Garvey is gaining traction in California’s Senate race, surpassing a prominent House Democrat in recent polling. 

A new Emerson College Polling-Inside California Politics poll released Thursday found that 18% of voters support Garvey, while 13% support Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA). Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is the clear front-runner for the California Senate seat that was held by former Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Another prominent Democrat, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), is lagging behind the top three contenders in single digits, sitting at 8%. 

“Everywhere we go, the excitement for Steve Garvey is palpable,” Garvey campaign spokesman Matt Shupe said in a statement. “As Californians reconnect with Steve Garvey and embrace his message of compassionate, commonsense solutions for the everyday issues they face, coupled with his commitment to building political consensus, we anticipate seeing even more support for his campaign. The dynamics of this election are clearly evolving into a race to beat Steve Garvey.”

The former San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers star launched a Republican bid for Senate in October, several months after his Democratic opponents. Garvey is the only prominent Republican candidate vying against the three established Democratic politicians; he moved into second place in December polling as well. 

In an interview with the Washington Examiner last week, Shupe said potential voters are responding positively to Garvey’s push for bipartisanship, citing he’s “not running to benefit the Republican Party” but instead “to benefit Californians.” 

“They actually want someone that’s willing to work with people to work for solutions for everybody rather than people that are just there to inflame rhetoric and service their party. That’s the whole ethos behind Steve’s campaign — is that this is for Californians,” Shupe said. 

Porter’s campaign has taken note of Garvey’s lead in recent polls, warning the Democratic base that a Republican could claim the second spot in California’s top-two primary system. The two highest-ranking candidates in California’s March 5 primary will appear on the ballot in November. 

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“A celebrity Republican is gaining traction in the polls, and he could advance to second place and keep us from qualifying for the general election,” Porter’s campaign said in a recent fundraising pitch.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the campaigns of Schiff, Porter, and Lee for comment.