Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi leads his closest Democratic competitor by 11 percentage points in the crowded field for California’s 10th District special election, according to an Aug. 10-11 SurveyUSA poll of registered voters.

A total of 14 — five Democrats, six Republicans and three third-party candidates — qualified for the Sept. 1 election and will appear on the ballot to choose a successor to Democrat Ellen O. Tauscher, who resigned her seat to serve as undersecretary of State for arms control and international security.

Garamendi led the SurveyUSA poll with 26 percent, Democratic state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier received 15 percent, Democratic state Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan received 12 percent, Iraq War veteran Anthony Woods, a Democrat, received 5 percent.

Republican businessman David Harmer received 18 percent.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein would be the clear favorite in a Democratic primary for governor in 2010 if she chooses to make the run according to a Field poll conducted Feb. 20 - March 1.

Attorney General Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tie for second at 16 percent and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom registers 10 percent. All others are in single digits.

Should Feinstein not run, Brown would be out front by 26 percent followed by Villaraigosa at 22 percent, Newsom at 16 percent and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi at 8 percent.

SurveyUSA tested the appeal of a slate of potential or announced candidates for California's governorship in 2010 and didn't find any of them firing up voters with enthusiasm, but the poll did not include two big names, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The survey asked voters to rate seven people on a scale of one to 10 with "10" meaning the individual had the "highest qualifications" and "1" signifying "completely unqualified."

The only name to garner a double-digit response in the "10" category was Attorney General and former Governor Jerry Brown who also had the highest favorability rating at 31 percent. However, only 10 percent graded Brown as a "10" compared to 20 percent who considered him completely unqualified, and those that viewed him unfavorably, at 34 percent, exceeded his favorable numbers.