President Donald Trump is quite unpopular in California, but almost half of Californians either haven’t heard of or don’t have an opinion about the special counsel, Robert Mueller, whose investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election could imperil the president, according to a poll released Wednesday, Jan. 10.

The first-ever Eyewitness News – Southern California News Group Poll, conducted by Survey USA, also found Trump losing a presidential race to a wide array of challengers, including Democratic senators Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Speaking of senators, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., enjoys a wide lead over current and potential challengers as she runs for a new six-year term in 2018.

The results aren’t good for Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, who is running against Feinstein. He comes in at 4 percent compared to 34 percent for Feinstein.

Trump lost California by 29 points to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the polls shows the Republican and former reality TV star is strongly disliked in this deep-blue state. Only 30 percent approve of Trump’s job performance compared to 60 percent who disapprove. Nationally, Trump’s approval rate is about 38 percent.

But the dislike of Trump in California isn’t yet translating into widespread support for Mueller. Some 27 percent of those polled had a positive view of Mueller, who is looking into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia as well as whether Trump obstructed justice, while 17 percent view Mueller in a negative light; 26 percent said they are “neutral” on Mueller while 23 percent said they don’t know who he is.

Of those who know of Mueller, 51 percent are confident in his ability to investigate Trump fairly, while 27 percent – including a plurality of conservatives and Republicans – have no confidence in the special counsel.

The poll also shows a big lead for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Jerry Brown.

Newsom comes in at 19 percent, followed by fellow Democrat and former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at 10 percent. Orange County Assemblyman Travis Allen is the top Republican gubernatorial candidate at 9 percent; California’s primary system sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to the November general election.

The poll shows Trump losing to seven hypothetical challengers in a presidential election held today. He loses by 24 points to Oprah Winfrey, who sparked speculation she’ll run in 2020 with a well-received speech at the Jan. 7. Golden Globe awards.

Warren beats Trump by 21 points while Gillibrand beats him by 14 points. Others besting Trump include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – 19 points – Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California – 20 points – and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti – 14 points.

Trump even loses to America’s Dad — actor Tom Hanks would defeat Trump by 25 points, the poll found.

POLL RESULTS

The Eyewitness News – Southern California News Group Poll, conducted by Survey USA, surveyed 1,100 California adults – 909 of them registered voters – from Jan. 7 to 9.

Here’s a look at some of the results.

Job approval – While 50 percent approve of Gov. Jerry Brown’s performance – 33 percent disapprove – and 45 percent are satisfied with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California – 28 percent aren’t happy with her – just 30 percent give good marks to President Donald Trump. Sixty percent disapprove of the president.

Border wall – 25 percent of those polled said a wall on the U.S./Mexico border would make them feel safer. Fifty-four percent said it would not make a difference.

Secession – Just 16 percent want California to secede from the U.S., while 71 percent oppose secession.

Harassment – 31 percent of women who are currently employed, or were previously employed in the workforce, said they have been sexually harassed at work.

Free speech – 53 percent of those polled said free speech is an absolute right, while 33 percent said certain speech is so offensive, it’s okay to silence it. Also, 58 percent said liberal groups seeking to hold rallies in California get enough opportunity to do so, compared with 48 percent who said the same about conservative groups who want to hold rallies.

See all results on Survey USA.