By Torey Van Oot, McClatchy Newspapers –
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Republican hopeful Elizabeth Emken faces a steep climb in her bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in California, according to a new Field Poll.
Feinstein led Emken by 19 points in the poll’s first matchup of the two Nov. 6 rivals, leading 51 percent to 32 percent among likely voters.
Emken won the chance to challenge Feinstein in the general election by securing the second-place spot in a 24-way primary on June 5 that featured candidates of all political leanings. Her candidacy was helped by an endorsement from the California Republican Party and a low-cost outreach strategy that relied heavily on social media and talk radio interviews.
But those efforts haven’t significantly raised her profile among Californians planning to head to the polls Nov. 6. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters surveyed by Field currently have no opinion of the Danville Republican, a former executive at a nonprofit that advocates for children with autism. Of those who do, 22 percent view her favorably and 13 percent hold an unfavorable view.
“There’s a lot of work to do for her side to get herself known to voters,” said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo.
Feinstein, however, is “is almost universally well known,” DiCamillo said. First elected to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein is viewed favorably by 52 percent of likely voters, with 36 percent saying they view her unfavorably. Just 12 percent have no opinion.
Emken’s campaign still sees opportunities in the poll results, pointing to Feinstein’s 45 percent job approval rating that is near a career low.
“We’re thrilled with these numbers because they validate what we’ve suspected all along: Dianne Feinstein is much weaker than everyone thought,” Emken spokesman Mark Standriff said in a written statement.
But DiCamillo says the 79-year-old senator’s stats are still strong, considering voters’ negative attitudes toward incumbents and Congress as a whole.
“Feinstein is still maintaining a positive image in the face of all those negative views of the Congress and Washington, so I don’t see that as a bad rating for her,” he said.
The challenge for Emken, he said, will be overcoming large disadvantages in name identification and campaign cash — Feinstein had $2 million more than Emken in the bank as of mid May — to win over some of the independents and even Democrats currently in the Democratic incumbent’s column.
That audience could include voters like Elk Grove resident Keith Mims. The school administrator, who describes himself as mostly independent, disapproves of Feinstein’s current performance. But while he would prefer “someone more in the middle,” he hasn’t heard enough about Emken to know whether she fits that mold or justifies a vote against the incumbent.
“I’m waiting to see what her issues are,” he said of Emken. “I’m waiting to see how she highlights her policies.”
Feinstein’s campaign isn’t concerned about that happening.
“The reality is she has demonstrated no capacity to do anything about getting those voters to know who she is,” said Feinstein campaign consultant Bill Carrick.
