Democrat Xavier Becerra continues to hold a significant advantage over Republican Steve Hilton, a new poll of the California gubernatorial race shows.
Becerra draws support from 60% of likely voters compared to 33% for Hilton, according to an Emerson College Polling survey released Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“After receiving the plurality of votes in the open primary for Governor with 28% in June, Becerra leads Hilton in the race for Governor, outside the survey’s margin of error,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 7% of voters remain undecided. When pressed to choose a candidate, Becerra leads (64% to 36%).
Becerra's 27-point advantage mirrors other recent polls that also found him leading
by double-digit margins, including an Activote poll released Friday, Oct. 16, that found Becerra held a 25.6-point advantage.
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.
As in other recent polls, voters' gubernatorial choices break sharply along partisan lines, with 93.6% of Democrats backing Becerra and 84.4% of Republicans supporting Hilton.
“California independents break for Becerra by 10 points, 46% to 36%, a group Hilton would need more support among to compete in the general election," Kimball said.
Becerra also leads across age groups and genders. The Democrat leads in all racial categories except "other or multiple races," where Hilton holds a narrow edge, 46.5% to 43.3%.
Beyond California's governor's race, the Emerson College Polling California survey, conducted between Oct. 17 and Oct. 19 with a sample of 1,000 likely voters, also asked voters about the state's most pressing issues and who is responsible for its current economic conditions.
Here's what else to know about the poll, which had a margin of error of ± 3.1 percentage points, along with a brief overview of California's gubernatorial candidates.
More on Emerson College survey
Forty-five percent of voters identified the economy as the top issue facing the state, followed by housing affordability (17%), healthcare (10%), and immigration (10%).
When voters were asked who they think is responsible for the Golden State's current economy, 44% said President Donald Trump, 38% Gov. Gavin Newsom, 7% the Republican majority in Congress, and 8% someone else.
"Compared to a year ago, the percentage of voters who blame President Trump for the state of the California economy increased 17 points, from 27% to 44%, while those who blame Newsom decreased 13 points, from 51% to 38%," pollsters noted.
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 was Monday, Oct. 19, but eligible voters who have missed the deadline can opt for same-day voter registration, also known as conditional voter registration.
Registered voters began receiving their general election ballots by mail in early October.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Becerra widens lead over Hilton in California governor's race poll
