logo

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Trumps Competition

image
Author: Lucy Ma
Created: 06 June, 2012
Updated: 13 October, 2022
2 min read

The anti-incumbent fever was scarcely evident in California’s open primary held yesterday. Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has been in office since 1992, easily defeated all 23 of her primary challengers. Yes, all 23. The sizeable field of candidates seeking to replace Feinstein was due in large part to California’s new “top two” open primary system. This new system lists all candidates, regardless of party, on the same ballot, and the top two vote getters then move forward to a runoff in the November general.

Senator Feinstein secured 49.3% of the total votes cast, enjoying a wide lead over her GOP challenger Elizabeth Emken who came in second with only 12.5% of the total vote. The two will now faceoff in November’s general election.

Leading up to yesterday’s election, political pundits talked of a possible matchup between Feinstein and Orly Taitz, an Orange County Republican best known for her “birther” claims against President Barack Obama.

The San Francisco Chronicle had the following to say about the unlikely pairing:

A second-place finish by Taitz would be seen in both parties as a national embarrassment for the Republican Party, rivaling the candidacy of Christine "I am not a witch" O'Donnell, the 2010 GOP Senate nominee in Delaware.

It seems though that the matchup was never in the cards, as Taitz finished off the night a distant fifth with only 3.1% of the total vote.

In fact, none of Feinstein’s challengers aside from Emken, who received the official endorsement of the California Republican Party, were able to break out of the single digits when it came to vote percentages. This may come as a surprise to some, considering Senator Feinstein’s job approval ratings hit an all time low earlier this year. You sure couldn’t tell by looking at the final numbers, Feinstein appears to be more than comfortable going into November.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read