Feinstein up nine points in new Senate poll

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) holds a 9-point lead over her Senate opponent, Kevin De Leon (D), but maintains a much wider margin among likely Democratic voters, a poll released Wednesday found.

A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll showed that while Feinstein leads 45 percent to 36 percent among likely voters, her lead grows to 64 percent to 34 percent among likely Democratic voters.

Her overall edge over De Leon narrows in large part because 43 percent of Republican voters polled said they are undecided or don’t plan to vote in the race. The remaining Republican voters in the poll backed De Leon, 34 percent to 23 percent.

{mosads}De Leon, seen as a more progressive Democrat than Feinstein, also leads among independent or other party voters, 44 percent to 39 percent, though 17 percent of that group also indicated they are undecided or won’t vote.

Wednesday’s poll was conducted Oct. 19-26 and surveyed 1,339 likely voters. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

The Berkeley poll shows a closer contest than most other surveys conducted in the California Senate race. A RealClearPolitics average of polls in the race shows Feinstein with a 14-point lead.

Next week’s election will pit two Democrats against each other because of California’s primary system where the top two candidates advance, regardless of party.

Feinstein, 85, has become a target of criticism from the president and other Republicans for her role in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.

Trump has accused Feinstein of leaking a sexual assault allegation against the judge, though he has only cited her “body language” as evidence for his claim. Feinstein has repeatedly denied leaking the allegation, and said she followed the accuser’s wishes for privacy.