Five-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) faces state Sen. Kevin de León (D) in the general election for U.S. Senate in California on November 6, 2018.[1] This is the second consecutive U.S. Senate race in the state without a Republican competing in the general election, following the 2016 match-up between U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D) and Loretta Sanchez (D).
The California Democratic Party endorsed de León at a meeting on July 14, 2018, after a state convention vote in February saw neither Feinstein nor de León cross the threshold of 60 percent necessary for an endorsement. According to The Sacramento Bee, de Leon spent months reaching out to more than 300 members of the party’s executive board to earn their endorsement. Feinstein had called for neutrality.[2][3]
De León also received major endorsements from the Service Employees International Union of California, California Nurses Association, and California Labor Federation AFL-CIOthroughout the primary, but has been unable to match Feinstein’s multimillion-dollar campaign. He raised $1.3 million compared to Feinstein’s $15 million—which includes $8 million in self-funding—through June.[4][5]
Feinstein, who won her 2012 re-election bid by 25 points, has support from national and state party figures, including former President Barack Obama (D), former Vice President Joe Biden(D), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
