Conflicting Poll Numbers In California's U.S. Senate Race GUEST: Mark Baldassare, president, Public Policy Institute of California Transcript for audioclip 31514

Attorney General Kamala Harris boosts her lead over Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez in the new Field Poll, but the lead shrinks in the latest survey from the Public Policy Institute of California.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris has boosted her lead over Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez among likely voters, 42 percent to 20 percent, according to a Field Poll out this week. But a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shows a Harris lead shrinking to 7 points. Likely voters in the PPIC poll favor Harris over Sanchez, 32 percent to 25 percent.

San Diego Mesa College political science professor Carl Luna said the differing results may be due to the challenge in nailing down voter sentiment when both candidates are from the same party. Both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats.

“If Congresswoman Sanchez is actually closing the gap, it’s because her success in tacking to the right, trying to get Republicans and trying to get some moderate to conservative independents to vote for her might be paying off,” Luna said. “Though the one consistency is that Harris is staying ahead in the polls and her position is solid to get her across the finish line.”

A Sanchez advisor contends the narrowing gap in the PPIC poll reflects growing approval for the congresswoman as voters start to pay closer attention to the race.

“They’re realizing the congresswoman serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security,” said Luis Vizcaino, Sanchez' senior advisor. “People are thinking we need someone with national security experience.”

A Harris spokesman said the campaign is continuing to work hard, and isn’t taking anything for granted.



“Kamala's campaign is about bringing Californians in every community together to reject the politics of fear and division,” said Nathan Click, a spokesman for Harris.

California Counts is a collaboration of KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio. Our coverage focuses on major issues and solicits diverse voices on what's important to the future of California.

FEATURED PODCAST KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute.





Sign up for Today's Top Stories newsletter Need help keeping up with the news that matters most? Get the day's top news — ranging from local to international — straight to your inbox each weekday morning. Enter your email address

Amita Sharma

Investigative Reporter

As an investigative reporter for KPBS, I've helped expose political scandals and dug into intractable issues like sex trafficking. I've raised tough questions about how government treats foster kids. I've spotlighted the problem of pollution in poor neighborhoods. And I've chronicled corporate mistakes and how the public sometimes ends up paying for them.

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.