With the midterm election just weeks away, a new poll shows Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra’s lead over Republican Steve Hilton continues to widen in the race for California governor.
Becerra captures 62.8% of likely voters, while Hilton garners 37.2% support, according to an Activote poll released Friday, Oct. 16.
This gives Becerra a 25.6-point advantage, matching other recent polls that also found the Democrat ahead by double digits.
A Manhattan Institute poll released a week earlier showed Becerra with a 17-point lead (55% to 38%). An Oct. 5 Independent Voter Project survey found Becerra had a 10-point advantage, while a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll and a separate Public Policy Institute of California poll released in September
both found the Democrat leading by more than 20 points.
Voters are sharply divided along party lines, with 95% of Democrats backing Becerra and 94% of Republicans supporting Hilton. Meanwhile, independents favor Becerra over Hilton (63% to 37%).
The survey also compared Becerra and Hilton among left, moderate left, center, moderate right, and right voters.
“Becerra holds his side of the spectrum more firmly than Hilton holds his,” pollsters wrote. “Becerra wins the left unanimously (100%) and takes 95% of the moderate left, while Hilton takes 85% of the right and 68% of the moderate right.”
Additionally, Becerra has a strong hold over voters who consider themselves in the center of the political spectrum (50% to 30%).
Regionally, Becerra also leads Hilton among rural (55% to 45%), suburban (58% to 42%), and urban voters (67% to 33%).
“Becerra leads in almost every group: among rural, voters under 50 and aged 65 and older, women and men, White and Latino voters, and at every level of income and education,” pollsters noted.
The one exception is voters aged 50 to 64. However, pollsters said the figures for that demographic rely on “subsamples for which the expected error is considerably larger than” the poll’s overall expected error.
The poll, conducted between Sept. 24 and Oct. 15 with a median field date of Oct. 5, included a sample of 400 likely midterm voters and had an average expected error of 4.9%.
Who are candidates for California governor?
Becerra and Hilton advanced to the general election through California's top-two primary system, in which all candidates compete on the same ballot regardless of party, and the two highest vote-getters move on to November. Becerra finished first in the June primary with 28% of the vote, while Hilton placed second with 24.6%.
Hilton, a former Fox News host and U.K. political strategist, is running on a platform centered on reducing taxes, easing regulations and challenging Democratic leadership in California. He has argued that the state needs a new direction on issues including energy, crime, education and housing affordability.
"California means to America what America means to the world," Hilton said when announcing his candidacy. "Let's make California the land of opportunity again."
Becerra, the former California Attorney General and most recently U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration, is campaigning to strengthen the economy, protect civil rights, and address affordability challenges facing working families.
"California is at a crossroads," Becerra said when launching his campaign. "The California Dream is slipping away."
The two offer competing visions for California's future, with starkly different approaches to tackling nearly every major issue facing the Golden State.
When is California’s general election?
California's general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
According to state officials, the last day to register to vote for California’s general election is Monday, Oct. 19.
Registered voters began receiving their general election ballots by mail in early October.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Becerra's advantage over Hilton grows in California governor race
