If the Democrats prevail Tuesday, it would be the first time since voters starting electing senators a century ago that Republicans have been absent from California’s general election ballot for the chamber.
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California has a sharp Democratic tilt and, unless there is a surprise, most polling suggests that voters will send two Democratic women to the November ballot: Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County.
With California’s June primary right around the corner, there is one candidate fit for the job to replace retiring U.S Sen.
California operates a top-two primary system that allows the top two primary election vote-getters to advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
The Field Poll finds Harris holds leads among registered Democrats, liberals, no-party preference voters, African-Americans, voters over 50, Bay Area voters and those living in union households.
Running for district attorney in San Francisco, Kamala Harris became accustomed to campaigning at churches.
Also, Pitney and other academics say they are unaware of another general election in the country in which two minority women were rival candidates for a U.S. Senate seat. She has made strong appeals for support from Hispanics, who will make up a significant chunk of voters Tuesday.
DiCamillo added several of the lesser-known candidates to his most recent survey after another poll showed that listing more candidates altered the results among Republicans. She is a heavy favorite to advance to November.
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is backing her, as well as the state Democratic Party, which chose Harris 78 percent to 19 percent, after both candidates campaigned for the support of rank-and-file party leaders.
In a recent interview, Sanchez said she knew she faced a formidable obstacle because numerous state’s leading Democrats would back Harris, who, like most statewide elected officials, comes from the Bay Area.
Sanchez, 56, has stressed her national security credentials built up during 10 terms in Washington. “That is where most of us will go”.
The three leading Republicans in the race-Del Beccaro, Unz, and Sundheim-have raised more than $900,000 among them. “You will see Republican operatives and business organizations working aggressively to support Loretta Sanchez”, says strategist Mike Madrid, a former state GOP political director.
Duf Sundheim, 63, a former state party chairman, cited an online poll that showed him just 5 points behind Sanchez among voters who have already cast absentee ballots.
“I’m afraid that I’m pretty sure that the polls are quite accurate, with Harris and Sanchez nearly certain to take the top two spots”, he said in an email. Del Becarro said he has the support of anti-tax, anti-abortion and gun rights activists, groups that can help mobilize voters.
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In the May Public Policy Institute poll, 51 percent of Republicans said they’d skip voting in the Senate race if there are only Democrats on the November ballot.
