Meet the Former Pro Athletes Running for Congress

Politics is known to be a sport and this year is no exception. Three former professional athletes have thrown their hat into the ring to run for Congress in the Nov. 5 election.

Steve Garvey is the Republican nominee in California for Senate, facing Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).



Polls show the latter, who has been in the House since 2001, up by double digits. Garvey, 75, played for the Los Angeles Dodgers between 1969 and 1982 and the San Diego Padres between 1983 and 1987. He was a 10-time All-Star and won the World Series in 1981.

He was the National League MVP in 1974, the National League Championship Series MVP in 1978 and 1984, and won the Gold Glove Award in four consecutive years. Garvey has gone after Schiff for being a “career politician.” His opponent has gone after him for having no political experience.

“While Mr. Garvey was signing baseballs for the last 37 years, I was seeing presidents of both parties and governors of both parties sign my bills into law,” Schiff said. In the Minnesota Senate race, former NBA player Royce White, a Republican, faces incumbent Sen.

Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). White, 33, was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 16th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

He played in the NBA Developmental League and did not see an NBA court until he was with the Sacramento Kings in 2014, his final year in the league. White played the rest of his professional career in Canada. White was known for his fear of flying.

While Garvey and White are expected to lose, one former athlete with a decent shot of winning is former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault. He is the GOP nominee facing incumbent Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which is a swing district.

Theriault, who has been a member of the Maine House of Representatives since 2022, did not win any NASCAR races as his best finish in the Cup Series was 35th, 40th in the Xfinity Series, and 24th in the Craftsman Truck Series. He last competed in NASCAR in 2019. He won the 2017 ARCA Racing Series Championship.

Theriault also supports tariffs, though he said those should be measured. His main pitch is that he is someone above the political fray. In the debate, Theriault went after Golden—one of a few congressional Democrats to not endorse Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris—for voting for the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Golden, 42, highlighted on his campaign website his campaign finance reform and anti-corruption efforts during his time in Congress. A number of other former athletes have moved into politics over the years. Former President Gerald Ford played football at the University of Michigan.

John Runyan, who was an NFL offensive lineman, represented New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District between 2011 and 2015. Jack Kemp was an NFL quarterback, most notably for the Buffalo Bills, before serving in Congress for 18 years and being Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Kemp was the late Sen.

Bob Dole’s running mate in the 1996 presidential election, which former President Bill Clinton easily won..