POLITICO: "It's not clear" The race to replace Feinstein could end up as a Democrat-on-Democrat contest; Republicans could wind up swinging the whole election.

How Republicans in California could decide Dianne Feinstein’s successor

This race could get weird.

The race to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein could end up as a Democrat-on-Democrat contest, and Republicans could wind up swinging the whole election. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

By STEVEN SHEPARD

05/27/2023 07:00 AM EDT 

It’s no secret that progressives are angling to take over the Senate seat in the liberal bastion of California.

But the most crucial bloc of voters may end up being Republicans.

Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff all want to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein when her seat is up next year. Usually, a Democrat wins a spot in the top-two primary system before going on to trounce whatever sacrificial Republican gets the second spot.

But California Republicans are such a distinct minority group in the blue state — they make up about a third of the electorate — that, this go around, things could get weird. .While there are a lot of unknowable variables in his race, one thing does seem relatively certain: It’s unlikely a Republican candidate will win. Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in California since 2006, and the best showing for a Republican presidential candidate in recent years was when former President George W. Bush broke the 40 percent mark in 2004."

FILED UNDER: 

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, 

KEVIN MCCARTHY, 

ELECTIONS, 

CALIFORNIA

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