Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are leading the packed race for California governor just days before the June 2 primary election, according to a new survey.
The Public Policy Institute of California survey conducted earlier this month and released Wednesday night showed 23% of those surveyed backing Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary, and 20% casting support for Hilton, a former political adviser and Fox News show host.
Billionaire investor and environmental advocate Tom Steyer was at 15%, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was at 13% and former Congress member Katie Porter was at 12%.
The PPIC surveyed 986 likely voters earlier this month on a wide range of subjects related to the election and California government.
The top two vote-getters in the California primary election, regardless of party affiliation, advance to a November runoff election.
Some Californians have already cast ballots. Vote-by-mail ballots are sent to every active eligible voter in the nation’s most populous state, meaning voting began in early May.
Democrats, who typically have high turnout in primaries, have been slow to return or drop off ballots, Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns, told the Associated Press. Many may be waiting for poll and survey results to signal the most viable candidate in the crowded field of Democrats.
“My joke is: Call your Democratic parents and tell them to turn in their ballot,” he said. “They are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor’s race. They’re waiting to make sure they’re making the right choice.”
There were early fears among Democrats that two Republicans might advance to the November runoff due to the number of Democrats in the field.
About 10% of the state’s roughly 23 million voters had voted as of Wednesday, according to Mitchell’s tracker. That includes about 15% of Republicans, 10% of Democrats and 7% of voters registered with no or another party.
Democrats in recent years have tended to vote early while many Republicans wait until Election Day.
In other key PPIC survey findings, seven in 10 likely voters said they are following news about the governor’s race very or fairly closely, according to the PPIC. About six in ten say they are satisfied with the choice of candidates in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom and think that the top-two primary system has been mostly a good thing for California since Proposition 14 passed in 2010.