Democrats have been pressuring Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to resign before her term officially expires in January 2025, particularly since her return to the chamber in May after battling shingles for several months.

Feinstein required assistance entering the chamber in a wheelchair and appeared visibly emaciated, with one eye almost closed. According to subsequent reports, her condition was worse than previously stated. However, she has steadfastly refused to resign.

Now, Democrats receive additional terrible news: Currently, a Republican candidate contending for her seat is ahead of other Democrats who are reportedly in the race to succeed Feinstein or who have expressed interest in running for it.

“A new poll shows Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Early taking a lead over Democratic candidates entering the 2024 primary race in California to replace Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein,” Newsweek reported on Thursday.

“The poll, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, showed Early is slightly ahead of Democratic Representative Katie Porter, with the Republican receiving 18 percent of support from likely primary voters,” the outlet noted further.

According to a poll conducted by UC Berkeley, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff received 14% of voter support, while U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee received 9%. Nonetheless, 42% of those surveyed were undecided or planned to vote for a different candidate.

Notably, these results are likely to change as Democratic voters coalesce around a single candidate, particularly in a state with a preponderance of Democratic-leaning voters. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that the plurality of voters who had decided on a candidate and participated in the survey supported the Republican.

Early officially launched his Senate campaign in April, targeting the votes of “forgotten” Californians who are struggling with issues such as rising crime rates, drug use, high taxation, and a “far-left” government agenda, as described on his campaign website.

“As our next US Senator, Eric will stand-up to the Socialist woke interests that control Washington, DC, fight to preserve and protect our Democracy, and fight for ordinary Californians who are being left behind,” his campaign site notes, according to Newsweek.

The New York Times reported last week that Feinstein’s fragile appearance could be attributed to complications that arose following her February hospitalization for herpes zoster, some of which were not previously disclosed. The infection from herpes zoster spread to her face and neck, causing vision and balance problems as well as a facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

In addition, the virus caused an unreported case of encephalitis, a rare but potentially debilitating complication of zoster. Following the initial report by The New York Times, a spokesman verified on Thursday that the encephalitis condition had “resolved itself” in March.

Post-herpetic encephalitis, which is characterized by brain inflammation, can lead to persistent difficulties for patients, such as memory or language impairments, sleep disorders, confusion, mood disorders, migraines, and mobility issues. Typically, older individuals encounter greater obstacles during their recovery.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

Prior to her recent illness, Feinstein had already experienced notable memory issues, leading to concerns about her cognitive abilities. CONTINUE READING…