Curt Schilling suggests his Republican allegiance cost him HOF votes

Former major league pitcher and two-time World Series winner Curt Schilling believes his political leanings have affected his Hall of Fame chances.

The outspoken Republican secured just 39.2 percent of the 2015 Hall of Fame vote, marking the third straight year Schilling has fallen well short of the 75 percent support required for election.

Schilling, whose career numbers compare favorably to newly-elected right-handed pitcher John Smoltz, suggested the Baseball Writers' Association of America is punishing him for his conservative beliefs.

"I think (Smoltz) got in because of (Greg) Maddux and (Tom) Glavine," Schilling said to Dennis and Callahan on WEEI on Wednesday. "I think the fact that they won 14 straight pennants. I think his 'Swiss army knife versatility,' which somebody said yesterday, I think he got a lot of accolades for that, I think he got a lot of recognition for that. He’s a Hall of Famer.

"And I think the other big thing is that I think he’s a Democrat and so I know that, as a Republican, that there’s some people that really don’t like that."

Schilling, who won 216 games during his 20-year career, has been a public figure in the political arena since his playing days. He campaigned for former President George W. Bush in 2004 and endorsed U.S. Senator John McCain during the 2008 election.

"When human beings do something, anything, there’s bias and prejudice," Schilling said. "Listen, 9 percent of the voters did not vote for Pedro (Martinez). There’s something wrong with the process and some of the people in the process when that happens. I don't think that it kept me (out) or anything like that, but I do know that there are guys who probably won't ever vote for me because of the things that I said or did. That’s the way it works."