Share

Email Print Comments Share

A little over a year before she faces re-election, voters in California have given Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein the lowest grade in her nearly two-decade tenure, according to a new poll released Friday.

A survey by the California-based Field Poll shows 44 percent of voters don't want to send Feinstein, who was first elected in 1992, back to Washington for a fourth full term, while 41 percent support her re-election. Until now, the poll has never showed the senator's re-election support to be under water.

Over the past 20 years, the Field survey has found Feinstein’s job approval ratings to be consistently positive by comfortable margins. Now, that margin is much narrower: 41 percent approve of the job she is doing in the Senate while 39 percent disapprove. This is Feinstein’s lowest grade in her Washington career, according to the survey. She receives majority approval (60 percent) from her political base, but 21 percent of Democrats disapprove of her job performance. Among non-partisan voters, 40 percent approve while 32 percent disapprove.

Though California has traditionally been a safe state for Democratic politicians, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina proved a viable Republican challenger to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer in last year's midterms, though she wound up losing by 10 points. Like Feinstein, Boxer's job approval ratings are upside down and the lowest in her tenure, with 39 percent approving and 42 percent disapproving.

Feinstein and Boxer’s poor grades are reflective of California voters’ overall all-time-low opinion of Congress as a whole. Just 9 percent approve of the U.S. Congress’ job performance while an overwhelming 86 percent disapprove, the lowest grade this poll has reported since 1992. Notably, both political parties are unpopular in the state, though Democrats fare better with a 30 percent approval rating, compared to Republicans’ 19 percent.

The Field Poll surveyed 1,001 registered California voters from Sept. 1-12. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.