(WHTM) – Congressman Eric Swalwell is leading the crowded field of Democrats seeking to be California’s next governor, according to a new Emerson College Polling survey released Thursday.

Swalwell, who recently entered the race, leads among Democratic voters with 20% support.

Former congresswoman Katie Porter follows Swalwell with 17% support.

Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received 8%, followed by businessman Tom Steyer at 7%, and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 5%.

The poll found 28% of Democratic voters are undecided in next year’s primary.

Among Republican primary voters, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco leads television host Steve Hilton 33% to 30%. Twenty four percent of Republican primary voters are undecided as well.

Bianco leads the full field of candidates with 13%, followed by Swalwell and Hilton at 12% and Porter at 11%. Thirty one percent of California voters surveyed were unsure, and no other candidate received double-digit support in the poll.

“As California turns to its next major statewide election after the passing of Proposition 50, no clear leader for the 2026 gubernatorial primary has yet emerged,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who is term-limited, has a 47% job approval rating in the poll.

“The governor’s +8 net approval rating reflects its highest of the year in an Emerson College poll,” Kimball noted. “Newsom’s strongest group is voters under 40, who approve of the Governor by a 21-point margin.”

Newsom also leads the potential field of Democratic presidential candidates in 2028 with 36% support in California, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 16%, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 13%, and former Vice President Kamala Harris at 9%.

Vice President J.D. Vance leads the potential Republican primary field with 52%, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 11%, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with 10%, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 6%.

Thirty-four percent of voters think the economy is the most important issue facing California, followed by housing affordability (25%), immigration (10%), threats to democracy (10%), and healthcare (9%).

The poll was conducted December 1-2, sampling 1,000 active registered California voters with a +/-3% margin of error.

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