A new Field Poll in the California Senate race shows Sen. Barbara Boxer in trouble, clinging to a narrow 47 percent to 44 percent lead over Republican challenger Carly Fiorina. The San Francisco Chronicle has more details on the poll, which also found that, “her job approval rating is among the lowest that Field has measured for her since she was first elected to the Senate in 1992: 43 percent of registered voters disapprove of her performance while 42 percent approve. Among likely voters, 48 percent disapprove and 42 percent approve.”

NBC’s First Read further notes that:

This could be the first election (Boxer’s) faced without coattails at the top of the ticket. In 1992 and 2004, she had the presidential coattails driving turnout. And in 1998, the Gray Davis landslide was a boon to all Democrats in the state. Boxer needs not just help from national Democrats, but she also needs Jerry Brown to improve his prospects.

On the other hand, the Field Poll found that Fiorina is unknown to 37 percent of California voters. The closeness of the current polling, therefore, reflects Boxer’s general unpopularity and the willingness of Californians to vote for a generic alternative. There’s still plenty of time for Boxer to remind voters in the very liberal state of Fiorina’s controversial time as CEO of Hewlett-Packard and the conservative positions she took during the primary.