Hilton, Becerra in tightening race in final weeks of California governor’s campaign
Former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra remains the top Democrat in the California governor’s race despite being targeted in a barrage of negative political ads and harsh attacks from rival candidates during the recent debates, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the state Democratic Party.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat who broke records for self-financing for statewide office, is flooding broadcast television, the Internet and social media with ads that break Becerra’s long record in public office, and is accepting campaign donations from oil giant Chevron. But so far, that hasn’t been enough for Steyer to surpass Becerra.
The poll found that 21 percent of voters support Becerra, who also serves in Congress and as California attorney general, while 15 percent support Steyer. Among other top Democrats: Former Orange County congresswoman Katie Porter received 7%; San José Mayor Matt Mahan came in with 4%; and state Supt. Public Education Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had 1% enrollment.
On Tuesday, Becerra said he believes he is rising in the polls because voters are now paying attention to the race.
“They’re taking a really close look at who’s there, and I think I’m one of the beneficiaries of people looking for a place where they can feel comfortable, where they can trust,” Becerra told reporters after a campaign event in South Los Angeles. “I think as people look at the candidates, when they walk into the governor’s office and they can hit the ground running on day one, they’ll start to crystallize behind someone who, as I said, doesn’t need training wheels.”
He said he thought Steyer’s attacks were not working because Californians were skeptical of the billionaire.
“He’s spending like no one else and hitting like no one before, and so far it hasn’t made a difference,” Becerra said. “We remain bullish despite a weeks-long barrage of lies and attacks…California voters are not worried about someone looking to buy the office.”
Leading all candidates in the race was former Fox News host Republican Steve Hilton, who was supported by 22% of voters. The poll showed his top GOP rival, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, at 10 percent support.
While Hilton and Becerra currently appear to be the most likely candidates to finish in the top two in California’s June 2 primary, which is needed to advance to the November general election, there is still plenty of time for political fortunes and voter support to rise and fall. Ballots have been sent to the state’s 23.1 million registered voters and early voting sites opened earlier this month, but most Californians have not sent them in until now.
For Becerra, the strong poll results mark a surprising turnaround for a campaign that appeared nearly dead just a few weeks ago. In early April, the California Democratic Party’s tracking poll showed Becerra receiving support from just 4% of voters. That changed when Northern California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a front-runner Democrat in the race, withdrew from the campaign and resigned from Congress after being accused of sexual assault and misconduct.
The California Democratic Party launched a series of tracking polls in March after leaders and allies became increasingly concerned that Republicans would win the top two spots in the primaries and the party would be left out of the November general election. That possibility, statistically possible given the multitude of candidates vying for governor, has become increasingly unlikely as California voters finally focus on the race to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Under California’s top-two primary system, only candidates who finish first and second in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of political party or affiliation.
The poll of 1,200 likely voters was conducted May 14-16 and has a margin of error of 2.83% in either direction.
