Feinstein holds commanding lead over Democratic primary challenger: poll

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) holds a commanding lead over her progressive primary challenger, state Senate President pro tempore Kevin de León (D), according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California.

The poll found that Feinstein currently leads de León 46 percent to 17 percent among likely voters in the state, while 33 percent of likely voters said they were undecided. 

The poll illustrated de León’s uphill battle to unseat Feinstein, who is seeking her fifth term in Congress’s upper chamber.  

{mosads}De León, who has presided over a Democratic supermajority in the state Senate, is largely unknown on a national level. 

He has launched a series of attacks on Feinstein from the left, slamming her for voting in favor of 11 of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and for her support for stronger immigration restrictions. 

However, Feinstein has become a major voice on immigration in recent months. 

She notably asked Trump in a televised meeting last month to support a “clean” bill to reauthorize the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. 

Immigration is considered to be a hot-button issue in California. 

The Public Policy Institute of California poll was conducted from Jan. 21 to 30 among 1,705 adult residents in California. 

The study’s margin of error is 3.2 percentage points for all adult voters and 4.35 percentage points for the 1,042 likely voters.