A new Field Poll release on the U.S. Senate race in California reveals that 48 percent of voters are undecided or have no preference — the largest category of voters in the race to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
The Sacramento Bee reports that among decided voters, 28 percent back California Attorney General Kamala Harris, and 14 percent back Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), both Democrats.
Among Republicans, businessman Ron Unz polls at 5%, and the other two candidates — former state GOP chairs Tom Del Beccaro and Duf Sundheim — are both polling at 3%, below the poll’s 4% margin of error.
The Senate race has piqued the interest of political insiders — and few others. There have been few public skirmishes, other than a spat in January after Sanchez, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, said that between five and 20 percent of Muslims worldwide want to achieve an Islamic caliphate, and Harris suggested Sanchez was “scapegoating” Muslims.
The race potentially pits a rising star from the black community against a rising star from the Latino community, a new turn in a state where white Jewish women have held both Senate seats for decades. But that demographic shift, so interesting to political pundits, has left voters apparently unfazed.
Interest may climb as the presidential contest heads to California. Both parties are looking to the Golden State as the decisive election — the vote that will determine if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump emerge as the nominees of their respective parties, or whether both will have to face a contested party convention. Trump’s presence is thought to be a boon for Sanchez, who would likely benefit from larger Latino turnout.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new e-book, Leadership Secrets of the Kings and Prophets: What the Bible’s Struggles Teach Us About Today, is on sale through Amazon Kindle Direct. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.