Former Los Angeles Controller Wendy Greuel boasts a lead in the crowded field
to replace retiring Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., in the 33rd District, according to her own survey provided first to CQ Roll Call.  

The poll showed Greuel, one of three Democrats in the contest, with support from 29 percent of likely primary voters in the race. Her survey also showed her top competitor, state Sen. Ted Lieu, with 21 percent of the likely primary vote.  

The poll’s results confirmed the early suspicions among many local Democratic operatives that Greuel starts the race as the front-runner . She recently lost a high-profile race for mayor of Los Angeles, during which Greuel appeared in millions of dollars’ worth of television ads. As a result, she remains well known in the district.  

But Greuel’s competitors are likely to amass the necessary resources to build familiarity with voters in the district, which could change the field. Twenty percent of voters remain undecided in Greuel’s poll.  

Republican Elan S. Carr , a veteran and president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, received 19 percent among the primary field, according to the poll.  

Two other independent candidates in the field, author Marianne Williamson and documentary producer Brent Roske, would receive 7 percent and 1 percent of the vote, respectively, according to the poll.  

Radio show host Matt Miller, a Democrat and former aide to President Bill Clinton who entered the contest Friday afternoon , was not included in the survey.  

More candidates could also enter the contest in the coming weeks. Potential candidates have until March 7 to file the necessary paperwork for a bid.  

The top two vote recipients in the June 3 primary advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.  

The Benenson Strategy Group poll, which surveyed 500 likely primary voters via telephone between Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, had a margin of error of 4.3 percent.  

California’s 33rd District is rated a Safe Democrat contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call. President Barack Obama won this district by a 24-point margin in 2012.