Analysis: Feinstein confronts a race for a sixth Senate term — and her party's shift to the left

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein's decision to seek a sixth term in theory leaves her open to a fierce challenge from someone closer to the ascendant and most vocal voters in a party that has moved sharply to the left and begun a generational shift.

Feinstein has long straddled two camps in California, demonstrating enough liberal tendencies to attract a majority of Democrats and enough moderate ones to be acceptable to those in the middle of the political spectrum. Early in her career, for example, she gained credit among moderate voters by drawing boos from a crowd of liberal party activists when she said she favored the death penalty in some cases.

In recent years, that sort of straddle has become an increasingly difficult posture to maintain.

The leftward move