A week after dropping out of the governor’s race, former Silicon Valley congressman Tom Campbell has emerged as the strongest Republican contender in the race for Barbara Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat, a new Field Poll says.
The poll, released Thursday, shows Campbell favored by 30 percent of likely Republican primary voters surveyed, compared with 25 percent for former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina — perceived as a fellow Silicon Valley moderate.
Conservative state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, of Irvine, was favored by 6 percent of Republicans.
Thirty-nine percent were undecided.
The Jan. 5-17 survey of 202 likely GOP voters, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 7.1 percentage points, appears to shatter the notion that Campbell’s entry into the race would split the moderate vote and boost DeVore.
In a larger sample of 958 likely general election voters, the poll also showed Campbell trailing Boxer by 10 points. Fiorina trailed her by 15 points; DeVore trailed Boxer by 17 points.
That survey, which included Californians of all political affiliations, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Complete results are available at www.field.com/fieldpollonline.
Contact Ken McLaughlin at 408-920-5552.