A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll released Tuesday indicates that California Gov. Jerry Brown is the leading alternative to incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), in case the senior U.S. Senator decides not to run.
Age is mentioned as a factor in Feinstein’s potential retirement, though both Democrats would be in their eighties if they took office in 2019. Feinstein is the elder of the two: Brown was born on April 7, 1938; Feinstein was born June 22, 1933. Both hail from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mark DiCamillo, director of the poll, wrote that Democrats are most inclined to oppose Feinstein based on her age — and yet they are also enthusiastic about a Senator Brown:
Among the sample of voters not reminded of her age, opinions about Feinstein running for a sixth term are mixed, with 48% saying this would be a good thing for the state and 52% believing it would be a bad thing. However, opinions of a Feinstein re-election bid turn negative among the sample of voters reminded of Feinstein’s age, with 62% saying her running again would be a bad thing for California and just 38% feeling it would be a good thing in this setting.
Democrats appear to be the segment most affected by mention of Feinstein’s age.
…
Governor Brown is the Democrat receiving the highest level of voter support (23%) in this setting. Each of the eight other Democrats listed obtains only single-digit support …
Former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, the lone Republican included in the mix, is backed by 22% of the electorate, mainly due to the strong backing of GOP voters in this setting.
In addition, according to the Sacramento Bee, the Berkeley IGS poll found that voter approval of the state legislature has reached levels not seen since the days of President Ronald Reagan, with 57% approving. That rating comes as the state’s Democrats attempt to confront the Trump administration over immigration, climate change and other policies.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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