California: In and Out

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) drew a major opponent on Sunday just days after she formally announced her run for a fifth full term.  State Senate President Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) declared his challenge to the veteran office holder and it will be decidedly from the left.  Meanwhile, US Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Pleasanton/East Bay Area) who originally didn’t close the door about running now has done so.  On Friday, the three-term Congressman not only announced that he won’t run for the Senate, but he publicly endorsed Sen. Feinstein’s re-election bid.
 
For her part, the veteran Golden State office holder is playing the California jungle primary electoral system like a fiddle.  Moving slightly to the center by making some conciliatory comments toward President Trump and acknowledging that additional gun laws would not have prevented the Las Vegas massacre, the state’s senior incumbent is working to position herself as the more attractive Democratic general election candidate for Republicans and right-of-center non-affiliated voters.  Though badly outnumbered, this segment still commands about one-third of the California electoral universe, the vast majority of which would likely support Sen. Feinstein over Mr. de Leon, if they choose to vote. 

--Jim Ellis