(WHTM) – A new Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey of the June primary for Governor finds Congressman Eric Swalwell (D) leading the open primary with 17%.

Swawell is followed in the poll of 1,000 likely California voters by businessman Steve Hilton (R) at 13%, businessman Tom Steyer (D) at 11%, Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) at 11%, and former Congresswoman Katie Porter (D) at 8%.

A quarter of voters, 25%, are undecided in the race to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, who had a 45% approval and 40% disapproval rating in the poll.

“Rep. Swalwell’s support increased among Democratic voters in the past month from 23% to 27%, along with Tom Steyer, whose support among this group also increased from 12% to 16%,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “A plurality of the independent electorate is undecided (39%), while 12% support Swalwell and Hilton respectively, and Republicans are split between Hilton (38%) and Bianco (34%).”

The economy remains the biggest issue for California voters at 37%, followed by housing affordability (22%), threats to democracy (11%), immigration (8%), and healthcare (7%).

The poll’s full results and methodology can be found on the Emerson College Polling website.

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Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson College Polling, and Chris Berg, Political Content Director for Nexstar Media Group, discuss the poll’s findings in this week’s episode of Political Power Ranker.

Each week, Chris and Spencer will examine who’s up and who’s down in the world of politics based on the latest data from Emerson College Polling, focusing on the states and races that impact the national picture.

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