THE TIMES POLL : Wilson and Brown Vulnerable : Both candidates for governor face considerable opposition in their own parties. Sen. Feinstein is in for a wide-open race with Republican challenger Michael Huffington.

Republican Gov. Pete Wilson and his Democratic challenger, state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, both will hobble into the general election campaign under a cloud of voter disaffection about the two candidates’ performance and potential, the Los Angeles Times Poll has found.

At this point, Brown appears to face the more formidable task in winning over the moderate, independent voters who will be decisive as Californians choose the state’s next governor, according to the results of a survey of voters as they left the polls Tuesday.

The issue Brown has chosen to stress above all others--the economy--is headed down on voters’ list of priorities, while crime, a topic that appears to favor Wilson, remains atop the public’s agenda.

Although both candidates face a good deal of opposition within their own parties, the Angst about Brown among Democrats runs broader and deeper than the dissatisfaction with the GOP governor among Republican voters.

The poll also found that Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who only a few weeks ago was considered an overwhelming favorite to be reelected, is in for a wide-open race with Rep. Michael Huffington, the Santa Barbara Republican who is spending millions from his own bank account to try to unseat her.

The Times Poll, directed by John Brennan, interviewed 5,234 voters at 110 precincts representing a cross-section of California. Among those interviewed in this exit poll were 2,656 Democrats and 2,275 Republicans, plus 303 independents and members of minor parties. The margin of sampling error was 3 percentage points in either direction.

Those interviewed were asked to name the top two issues concerning them as they went to the polls. Nearly two out of five respondents--36%--cited crime, while 25% named education, 23% said immigration and 20% cited the economy.

Most Republicans cited crime and immigration as their top concerns, and Wilson won handily over challenger Ron Unz among these voters.

Wilson won every major Republican voting group. His challenger, however, tapped into a strong streak of anti-Wilson sentiment, attracting younger voters motivated more by dislike of the governor than by ideological differences.

Indeed, Wilson has significant liabilities.

Chief among them: More than two-thirds of those who went to the polls Tuesday believe that the state is on the “wrong track,” while just 31% say it is going in the right direction. Even among Republicans, 66% say they are unhappy with the direction the state is taking.

Wilson’s job approval rating remains precariously low for an incumbent seeking reelection. Just 39% of those polled Tuesday said they approved of the job the governor was doing, while 61% disapproved. Two out of five Republican voters said they were unhappy with Wilson’s performance in office.

Among Democrats, Brown led Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and state Sen. Tom Hayden in every region of the state. She won decisively among blacks and Latinos and held smaller leads among whites and Asian Americans. She defeated Garamendi among poor, middle income and wealthy voters.

But Brown’s margin belied a major problem confronting her in the fall: She is the clear favorite of her party’s liberal stalwarts but had more trouble winning support from the elderly and the independent, moderate Democrats who must be in her column if she is to defeat Wilson in November.

Those Democrats who consider themselves liberals divided their vote this way: 60% for Brown and about 20% each for Garamendi and Hayden. But among moderates, Brown slipped to 49%, while Garamendi got 36% and Hayden received 10%. Among conservatives, 45% voted for Garamendi, while 35% sided with Brown and 10% went for Hayden.

Although Brown won big among younger and middle-aged Democrats, Garamendi was even with her among the elderly.

Brown won among women by a margin of 55% to 28% but did less well among men, winning 46% to 35% for Garamendi.

Brown appears to have won the primary on the strength of large margins she built on two issues important to many Democrats--education and the economy.

Those most concerned about education went for Brown over Garamendi by a margin of 62% to 21%. Voters most interested in economic issues broke for Brown 63% to 25%. Brown also bested Garamendi and Hayden on several other issues, including bringing business back to California, health care and the state budget.

But on crime--the top issue of the day among voters in both major parties--Brown did not do as well.

She was only even with Garamendi on that topic, with each drawing around 40% of the vote.

On the death penalty--which Brown opposes but says she would carry out as governor--the Democratic nominee appears vulnerable to a fall attack by Wilson, a strong supporter of capital punishment. Among Democrats for whom the death penalty was an important influence, Garamendi trounced Brown 63% to 27%.

Garamendi also defeated Brown among Democrats who said immigration was the top issue facing the state today.

“There are four main issues in this governor’s race,” poll director Brennan said. “Wilson has an advantage on crime and immigration and Brown has the advantage on education and the economy.”

As a result, Brown has a difficult chore ahead of her as she seeks to woo back those Democrats who voted against her Tuesday.

Among Democratic voters who sided with Garamendi and Hayden, just 36% said they intended to vote for Brown in the fall, while 33% said they would choose Wilson.

By contrast, among Republicans who voted against Wilson on Tuesday, 46% said they would support him in November while only 17% said they would vote for Brown.

Hayden, who waged an unconventional long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination, did best among Jewish Democrats, 28% of whom voted for the onetime anti-war radical. He also drew support from liberals and Bay Area residents--although even among these voters, only two in 10 supported him.

In the Senate race, Feinstein, an incumbent Democrat who faced only token primary opposition, appears headed for a tight fall campaign against Huffington.

Feinstein was doing no better than Huffington, a freshman Republican congressman who weathered a tough primary challenge, in solidifying a partisan core for November. Of those who voted in the Democratic primary, 66% said they intended to vote for Feinstein in the fall, while 16% said they would vote for Huffington. On the Republican side, 68% said they would vote for Huffington, while 10% said they would go with the Democratic incumbent.

Thirty percent of those who voted for Garamendi in the governor’s race--mainly moderate and conservative Democrats--said they intended to vote for Huffington over Feinstein for the Senate in the fall.

Huffington, it appears, has made significant inroads with the conservative Republicans who were expected to be a problem for the more moderate congressman. Huffington defeated former Rep. William E. Dannemeyer 50% to 20% among self-described moderate Republicans and 48% to 36% among conservatives.

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How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Poll interviewed 5,234 voters, including 2,656 Democratic and 2,275 Republican primary voters as they exited 110 polling places across the state. Precincts were chosen based on the pattern of turnout in past primary elections. The survey was by confidential questionnaire. The margin of sampling error for percentages based on the entire sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For some subgroups the error margin may be somewhat higher. Because the survey does not include absentee voters or those who declined to participate when approached, actual returns and demographic estimates by the interviewers were used to slightly adjust the sample. Assisting The Times in this poll was Davis Market Research Services Inc. of Calabassas.

THE TIMES POLL: The Race for Governor

These tables show the issues and factors that motivated California voters to choose governor and Senate candidates Tuesday. It also indicates how primary voters now intend to vote in the November general election.

Do you support your candidate for governor mostly because:

DEMOCRATS REPUB % OF % OF % OF % OF BROWN GARAMENDI HAYDEN WILSON VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS You like candidate and policies 68% 60% 60% 69% Is best of a bad lot 26% 33% 18% 28% To send a protest message 6% 7% 22% 3%

LICANS % OF UNZ VOTERS You like candidate and policies 59% Is best of a bad lot 18% To send a protest message 23%

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What had a major influence on your vote for governor?

DEMOCRATS REPUB % OF % OF % OF % OF BROWN GARAMENDI HAYDEN WILSON VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS Brown family record in California 25% 10% 5% 15% Brown’s record as treasurer 36% 3% 1% 2% Garamendi’s record as 5% 47% 2% 2% insurance commissioner Brown is a woman 18% 1% 1% 1% My candidate’s position 8% 31% 7% 23% on death penalty My candidate is a strong leader 13% 11% 6% 18% My candidate has good ideas 18% 17% 43% 14% My candidate not beholden 2% 4% 30% 2% to special interests My candidate stands for something 7% 7% 31% 8% Unz is a true Republican - - 1% 1% Wilson’s record as governor 14% 7% 10% 47%

LICANS % OF UNZ VOTERS Brown family record in California 9% Brown’s record as treasurer 2% Garamendi’s record as 3% insurance commissioner Brown is a woman - My candidate’s position 12% on death penalty My candidate is a strong leader 6% My candidate has good ideas 25% My candidate not beholden 9% to special interests My candidate stands for something 16% Unz is a true Republican 35% Wilson’s record as governor 23%

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Which issues were most important in deciding how you would vote?

DEMOCRATS REPUB % OF % OF % OF % OF BROWN GARAMENDI HAYDEN WILSON VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS Taxes 12% 19% 8% 20% Education 37% 23% 33% 13% Crime 28% 49% 21% 47% Immigration 8% 23% 9% 44% Economy 30% 21% 17% 11% Bringing business into the state 7% 6% 1% 8% Northridge earthquake recovery 1% - 1% 2% Health care 13% 6% 9% 3% Environment 4% 2% 13% 2% State budget 13% 10% 11% 10% Ethics in government 10% 9% 33% 7%

LICANS % OF UNZ VOTERS Taxes 32% Education 23% Crime 30% Immigration 20% Economy 21% Bringing business into the state 11% Northridge earthquake recovery 1% Health care 2% Environment - State budget 15% Ethics in government 17%

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If the November election were held today between Kathleen Brown and Pete Wilson, would you vote for:

DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS % OF % OF % OF % OF % OF BROWN GARAMENDI HAYDEN WILSON UNZ VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS Kathleen Brown 91% 29% 58% 4% 14% Pete Wilson 5% 39% 18% 91% 50% Someone else 1% 25% 18% 2% 28% Don’t know 3% 7% 6% 3% 8%

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If the November election were held today between John Garamendi and Pete Wilson, would you vote for:

DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS % OF % OF % OF % OF % OF BROWN GARAMENDI HAYDEN WILSON UNZ VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS John Garamendi 57% 77% 49% 8% 20% Pete Wilson 11% 16% 22% 86% 45% Someone else 22% 2% 19% 2% 25% Don’t know 10% 5% 10% 4% 10%

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The Race for U.S. Senate

What had a major influence on your vote for U.S. senator today?

REPUBLICANS % OF ALL % OF % OF DEMO. DANNEMEYER HUFFINGTON VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS Feinstein is a big spender 9% 21% 30% Feinstein’s support for Clinton 23% 21% 21% Feinstein’s assault weapons ban 23% 6% 7% Dannemeyer’s support 2% 52% 3% for Christian values My candidate’s record in office 26% 9% 5% Huffington is a businessman 2% 1% 44% Feinstein is a woman 10% - 1% Feinstein is a career politician 11% 2% 5% Huffington is too liberal - 7% 1% Dannemeyer is too conservative 2% 1% 3% Huffington is trying to 5% 6% 1% buy the election

% OF SQUIRES VOTERS Feinstein is a big spender 18% Feinstein’s support for Clinton 16% Feinstein’s assault weapons ban 4% Dannemeyer’s support 9% for Christian values My candidate’s record in office 5% Huffington is a businessman 1% Feinstein is a woman 2% Feinstein is a career politician 3% Huffington is too liberal 3% Dannemeyer is too conservative 2% Huffington is trying to 13% buy the election

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If the November election were held today between Dianne Feinstein and Michael Huffington, would you vote for:

REPUBLICANS % OF ALL % OF % OF % OF DEMO. DANNEMEYER HUFFINGTON SQUIRES VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS VOTERS Dianne Feinstein 67% 9% 4% 23% Michael Huffington 15% 57% 92% 35% Someone else 11% 26% 1% 27% Don’t know 7% 8% 3% 15%

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times exit poll