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Senator Dianne Feinstein is celebrating her second full-term victory
after she was declared the winner in one of the most predictable
senate races in recent California history.
With 64 percent of the votes counted, Feinstein had well over half
of the votes while Campbell received 38 percent maintaining the
wide margin that characterized the race.
Feinstein, a moderate who was once mayor of San Francisco, maintained
an overwhelming 20-point lead over Campbell, a San Jose congressman,
from the outset. Some 54 percent of likely voters supported Feinstein,
while 34 percent favored Campbell, according the a statewide Field
Poll two weeks ago. Twelve percent were undecided, the poll found.
Unlike Feinstein’s battle four years ago against Michael Huffington,
this election voters barely paid attention to the California senate
race. The Field Poll showed that only one-third of likely California
voters were paying attention to the race. Meanwhile, 57 percent
of voters said they were following the New York senate race.
Poll director Mark DiCamilo attributes the interest in the New York
race to the "public fascination" with Hillary Clinton,
he told The New York Times, rather than boredom over what so far
has been an uneven race dominated by Feinstein.
Campbell, a former constitutional law professor at Stanford University,
gave up his 15th Congressional district seat, which he regained
while a state senator in 1994, to make his case against a popular
Democratic incumbent.
Experts blamed Campbell’s failure to excite voters on an unorthodox
and underfunded campaign. Campbell raised only about $5 million,
little compared to Feinstein’s 1994 opponent, former Republican
congressman Michael Huffington of Santa Barbara, who spent what
was then a record of $30 million on his campaign. Feinstein spent
$9 million on her campaign for this election.
"If we had $10 million I just know we could beat Feinstein,"
said Sean Walsh, Campbell’s campaign spokesman.
During the campaign, Campbell criticized Feinstein for supporting
the war on drugs, which he said is failing and should be abandoned.
He also openly supported Proposition 36, an initiative that advocates
treatment over incarceration for some drug addicts. Such positions,
long associated with liberals, have earned him the title of "the
Un-Republican Republican."
"The guy is all over the place," a California Republican
Party insider told The New York Times.
Meanwhile, Feinstein, who first won her Senate seat in 1992, is
acknowledged to be the most popular elected official in California.
She collected nearly one million more votes than anyone else on
the March primary ballot, including Bush and Gore.
In a recent speech at San Diego’s California Western School
of Law, Campbell said that after the election he will be free to
return to full time work grading papers. Campbell is a member of
the law faculty at Stanford University.
Campbell’s career highlights: Former state senator from the
Silicon Valley; Stanford law professor since 1987; as congressman,
voted for impeachment of President Clinton and against continued
House speakership of Newt Gingrich; pushed for California’s
open primary.
Feinstein’s career highlights: San Francisco Board of Supervisors,
1970-78; San Francisco mayor, 1978-88; Democratic nominee for California
governor, 1990; U.S. Senate, 1992-present. Championed ban on assault
weapons.
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