Schwarzenegger in Dead Heat with Angelides

Name recognition: If you have never heard of Phil Angelides or Steve Westly, you are not alone — even if you live here in Calfornia, where both men are Democrats running for governor against … what’s his name? Oh yeah, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

According to a new poll, Angelides, a comparative no-name, is beating Gov. Schwarzenegger by one point:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is in a virtual tie with State Treasurer Phil Angelides (D) in California’s 2006 gubernatorial election, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.

Angelides received the support of 41 percent of respondents and Schwarzenegger came in at 40 percent. This is “the third straight poll showing the gap between Angelides and Schwarzenegger as smaller than the survey margin of sampling error.”

In the other possible matchup, Schwarzenegger leads State Comptroller Steve Westly (D) 39 percent to 34 percent.

It isn’t as if Angelides and Westly are complete unknowns. They were both elected to high office in a state that only has a half dozen or so statewide positions. Still, they both have some work to do:

[A Los Angeles] Times poll last month showed that both Angelides and Westly are pretty obscure.

Asked their impression of Angelides, 72 percent of surveyed voters had none. And 82 percent had no impression of Westly.

It is too early to know but as things sit right now, the contest is Angelides to lose. Schwarzenegger has made some progress since his disastrous performance last year but every step he takes to appease the left alienates the 33 percent of hard rightwingers in the state.

What makes Angelides the frontrunner by a nose now is that he has something that neither of his opponents has: the endorsement of Sen. Dianne Feinstein — and he can take that to the bank.

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