The Big Lead

Democrats seek ex-athletes with political ambitions, ex-Mets pitcher says

In the wake of Mark Teixeira's announcement that he is running for Congress in Texas, other athletes might be urged to follow his lead.

By J.P. Hoornstra

New York Mets relief pitcher Trevor May (65) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the sixth inning during game one of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct. 7, 2022.
New York Mets relief pitcher Trevor May (65) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the sixth inning during game one of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct. 7, 2022. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Retired Major League Baseball player Mark Teixeira’s announcement this week that he is running for Congress in Texas spurred a sudden rash of media coverage (present outlet included).

Political operatives are paying attention.

More news: Three-time MLB All-Star, Yankees World Series champion, announces Congressional bid

In an era of increasing political polarization, where both Republicans and Democrats must fight perceptions to appeal to apathetic or ambivalent centrists, famous athletes have unique potential to cut through the noise. At least, that’s one thought circulating among Democratic strategists.

Retired pitcher Trevor May dropped this fascinating nugget in his most recent newsletter Sunday:

“A high-ranking Democratic campaign official told IamTrevorMay Media that it could become more common for the Democratic party to target athletes to run as centrist candidates, like (retired St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam) Wainwright in MO-2, in order to appeal to a wider voter base and make up ground in what would otherwise be non-competitive races.”

Wainwright told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that “the time for me” to launch a political career “if ever, is not right now.”

May pitched for the Minnesota Twins (2014-20), New York Mets (2021-22) and Oakland Athletics (2023) in a 10-year major league career. He’s a native of Washington and still calls the mostly-blue state home. 

That makes him both a credible source of information on the topic of Democratic politics — and an outlier among his peers.

“It is not a secret that a significant number of people around baseball tend to lean more conservative,” May wrote. “If Teixeira ends up winning, as many already believe he will, it could inspire other retired players to follow his lead.”

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