Becerra leads California Governor Race with 25%, Hilton at 21%

Xavier Becerra leads the california governor race with 25% support in a UC Berkeley poll released Thursday, while Steve Hilton has 21% and Tom Steyer has 19%. The survey was conducted from May 19 to 24 and included all 61 gubernatorial candidates on the ballot.

For voters trying to read the race before the June 2 primary, the numbers point to a field that is still moving. Seven percent of likely California voters were undecided, and only the top two finishers will advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.

Berkeley IGS Poll

The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Mark DiCamillo, the poll director, said, "We’re assuming that... the Democrats will in fact turn out in the final week after we had concluded our poll and begin to make up ground on what looks like an early lead for Hilton, and those voters favor Becerra". Becerra, a Democratic candidate and former Biden Cabinet secretary, had led the Berkeley IGS poll in early March with 5% support among likely voters.

Hilton, Steyer, and the field

Hilton, a Republican candidate and former commentator and British political strategist, led Chad Bianco by almost 2 to 1 among likely Republican voters. Bianco, the Riverside County Sheriff, dropped 5% and was in fourth place, while Katie Porter fell to 7% support.

Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa and Tony Thurmond remained in the single digits. Among likely Democratic voters, Becerra led Steyer by 11 percentage points, and voters registered as no party preference were evenly divided among Becerra, Steyer and Hilton.

June 2 primary

The poll adds another snapshot to the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, where mail-in ballots have already gone out but many voters have not yet returned or dropped them off. With the top two finishers moving on, the closing stretch now centers on which candidates can translate late turnout into one of the two November ballot spots.