Dianne Feinstein’s popularity sinks in California, poll says: report

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U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s popularity in California has taken a tumble, a new poll says, according to a report.

Just 35% of California voters who responded to the poll approve of Feinstein’s job performance, SFGate.com reported.

The poll by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, was conducted online Jan. 23-29 among more than 10,000 registered voter in the state, the report said.

The poll also showed Feinstein to have a 45% disapproval rating among respondents, while 20% had no opinion.

Her numbers on both approval and disapproval are her worst ever in the poll, SFGate.com reported. The same poll a month earlier showed Feinstein’s approval rating to be 48%, with a disapproval rating of 37%, the report said.

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Three other California politicians joined Feinstein in having higher disapproval numbers than approval numbers, SFGate.com reported.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 11, 2020 in Washington. (Getty Images)

They were Gov. Gavin Newsom (49% unfavorable, 44% favorable), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (44% unfavorable, 30% favorable) and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (35% unfavorable, 33% favorable).

The latest feedback follows several incidents in recent months that resulted in negative headlines for Feinstein, 87, a former mayor of San Francisco who has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 1992.

In October, many Democrats objected to Feinstein’s display of cordiality toward Republicans during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was former President Trump’s pick to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

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At the conclusion of the hearings – which ultimately led to Barrett’s confirmation by the full Senate – Feinstein was seen sharing a hug with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

In December, Feinstein was the target of a hit piece in The New Yorker magazine that suggested she’s been "seriously struggling" with cognitive decline.

More recently, Feinstein in January offered to pay a fine after failing to promptly disclose a stock purchase by her husband.

That report revived talk about a matter last March, in which Feinstein was listed among several senators who sold off stocks just prior to a stock market drop that resulted from the start of the coronavirus crisis. Feinstein argued that those March reports about her were misleading.

In addition, many California Democrats were displeased that Feinstein did not support the presidential campaign of the state’s junior U.S. senator, Kamala Harris, opting instead to back Joe Biden. Harris, of course, went on to become Biden’s running mate after Biden won the Democratic nomination.

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Harris, now the nation’s vice president, has since been replaced in the Senate by Alex Padilla, the California secretary of state, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to complete Harris’ Senate term.

In the UC Berkeley poll, Harris ranked as the most popular politician from California, with support from 56% of respondents compared to disapproval from 38%.

Feinstein, whose current term is set to end in January 2025, filed paperwork last month with the Federal Election Commission to pursue reelection in 2024, when she will be 91 years old.