Politico: Dianne Feinstein takes double whammy in stride

Senator Dianne Feinstein speaks during John Bryson’s confirmation to Secretary of Commerce in Washington. | John Shinkle/POLITICO

By DAVID CATANESE | 9/22/11 11:04 PM EDT

Dianne Feinstein has had one of the worst weeks imaginable. Her campaign coffers were cleaned out, forcing her to dip into her own pockets to replace more than $5 million in stolen funds. Then the respected Field Poll piled on, reporting that on the eve of her 2012 reelection campaign, her approval ratings had hit a career low.

The good news? Despite all of it, almost no one thinks she can be beaten.

“She’s had a bad confluence of events, but absent someone self-funding at a phenomenal level I don’t think she’s in serious jeopardy of coughing up the seat,” said California Republican strategist Rob Stutzman. “I expect she’ll get reelected. That’s why you don’t see Republicans walking onto the field.”

The Republican bench in the Golden State remains bare. The stinging statewide losses in 2010 during a year of historic national gains are still raw. And Feinstein still enjoys grande dame status in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1988.

So far the only people to publicly flirt with bids have been fringe candidates: Orly Taitz, known mostly for her crusade to prove President Barack Obama isn’t a U.S. citizen, and radio talk show host Michael Reagan. Even Reagan swiftly ruled out a run, joking to Fox News that a Senate seat “would be a pay cut anyway.”

Dan Schnur, a former aide to Republican Gov. Pete Wilson who now directs the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, said it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which Feinstein isn’t sent back for another six-year stint.

“It’s not clear who would be able to give her a competitive race. There’s nothing to indicate the presence of a Republican alternative who can take advantage of this opportunity,” Schnur said.

Santa Monica-based Democratic strategist Garry South was even more emphatic: “There’s no Republican they can put up that will beat Feinstein. They don’t have a bench. They don’t even have a three-legged stool.”

But there’s no denying Feinstein has taken a beating.

Her campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee, stands accused by the Justice Department of siphoning funds from the senator and other candidates into her personal account — forcing Feinstein to write a $5 million check this week to replace the funds.

“The magnitude of this is breathtaking. I can’t even tell you how much she lost. We’ve had to put our money in a new bank, gotten a new accounting firm, a new legal firm and a new treasurer. All in the last week,” said Feinstein’s political consultant Bill Carrick. “It’s just enormously distracting.”

The money scheme dropped just as the respected California Field Poll delivered the dour news that Feinstein’s approval rating had hit 41 percent, the lowest mark of her 17-year tenure.

“In nearly every poll conducted over the past two decades, more voters have approved than disapproved of Feinstein by double-digit margins,” wrote the Field Poll’s Mark DiCamillo in a memo. “But now voters’ perceptions of Feinstein’s performance are closely divided. There is less enthusiasm among voters to favor her candidacy this time around.”

2 Responses to “I don’t believe that Diane Feinstein should get a free ride and no Republican challenge”

1. Patty
   September 24th, 2011 @ 3:24 am

   Orly, you simply must run against her. This is a golden opportunity.

2. hippybiker
   September 24th, 2011 @ 2:41 pm

   It would be nice if someone did beat this witch. She is an unabashed hypocrite, when she calls for massive gun control and she herself holds a rare California concealed Pistol License. Thats right gentle readers, “Mrs Gun Grabber” herself feels her life is more important then yours and mine.
   Thank the Good Lord I live in a State that respects my right to self protection. You good people in California need to do yourselves and the rest of the country a big favor and dump this Chump.

Leave a Reply