Hilton, Becerra in a tight race in the final weeks of the California governor’s campaign
Former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra remains the Democratic front-runner in the California governor’s race despite being targeted by a series of negative political ads and enduring fierce attacks from his rivals in recent debates, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the Democratic Party.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, a record-breaking self-funding Democrat for statewide office, has been flooding the television airwaves, the Internet and social media with ads ripping off Becerra’s long record in public office, as well as accepting campaign donations from oil company Chevron. But, so far, that hasn’t been enough for Steyer to overtake Becerra.
The survey found that 21% of likely voters support Becerra, a former congressman and California attorney general, while 15% support Steyer. Among other top Democrats: Former Orange County congresswoman Katie Porter got 7%; San José Mayor Matt Mahan came in at 4%; and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa registered 1%.
Becerra said on Tuesday that he believes that he has increased in the polls because the voters have paid attention to the race.
“They’re looking very closely at who’s there, and I think I’m one of the beneficiaries of people looking for a place 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, they’re going to start looking behind someone who won’t need training wheels, as I say, if they walk into the manager’s office and can’t hit the ground running, day one.”
He said he thinks Steyer’s attack is ineffective because the people of California doubt the businessman.
“He’s spending like nobody’s seen before, and he’s hitting like nobody’s seen before, and so far, it hasn’t made a difference,” Becerra said. “We continue to gain momentum, even after weeks of lies and attacks….California voters are not worried about having someone who wants to buy office.”
Leading the race was Republican Steve Hilton, former Fox News host, with 22% of likely voters. His top GOP challenger, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, is backed by 10%, the survey showed.
While Hilton and Becerra currently appear to be the top two finishers expected in California’s June 2 primary, which must carry over to the November general election, there is still plenty of time for the political fortunes and voter support to rise or fall. Ballots were mailed to the state’s 23.1 million registered voters and early voting locations opened earlier this month, but the majority of Californians have not yet cast ballots.
For Becerra, the strong poll results show a dramatic turnaround for a campaign that has appeared dead for the past few weeks. In early April, a California Democratic Party tracking poll showed Becerra with support from only 4% of likely voters. That changed after then-Northern California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who had been leading the Democratic race, withdrew from the campaign and resigned from Congress after allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
The California Democratic Party launched a series of ballots in March after leaders and allies grew concerned that Republicans would win two key seats in the primary, closing the party in the November general election. This prospect, while statistically possible given the crowded field of gubernatorial candidates, has increased the likelihood that California voters will end up focusing on the race to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Under California’s first primary system, only candidates who finish first and second in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their political party or affiliation.
Polling of about 1,200 voters took place between May 14 and 16 and has a margin of error of 2.83% in any case.
