{"id":749,"date":"2026-05-19T18:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=749"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:30:11","slug":"hilton-and-becerra-lead-in-a-tightening-race-in-final-weeks-of-california-governors-campaign-poll-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=749","title":{"rendered":"Hilton and Becerra lead in a tightening race in final weeks of California governor\u2019s campaign, poll shows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra remains the top Democrat in the California governor\u2019s race despite being targeted by a barrage of negative political ads and enduring sharp attacks from his rival candidates during recent debates, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the state Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

Read more Jack up taxes on California\u2019s rich? Popular liberal mantra, but bad idea<\/a><\/p>\n

Billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat who is shattering self-funding records for statewide office, has been flooding the television airwaves, internet and social media with ads ripping Becerra\u2019s long record in public office, as well as for accepting campaign donations from oil giant Chevron. But, thus far, that has not been enough for Steyer to overtake Becerra.<\/p>\n

The survey found that 21% of likely voters backed Becerra, who also served in Congress and as California\u2019s attorney general, while 15% backed Steyer. Among the other top Democrats: Former Orange County congresswoman Katie Porter received 7%; San Jos\u00e9 Mayor Matt Mahan came in at 4%; and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa registered at 1%.<\/p>\n

Becerra on Tuesday said he believes he has climbed in the polls because voters are now paying attention to the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re really looking closely at who\u2019s out there, and I think I\u2019ve been one of the beneficiaries of folks looking for a place that they can feel comfortable, where they can trust,\u201d Becerra told reporters after a campaign event in South Los Angeles. \u201cI think more and more as people look at the candidates, they\u2019re going to start to crystallize behind somebody who won\u2019t need training wheels, as I say, when they get into the governor\u2019s office and can hit the ground running, day one.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he thinks Steyer\u2019s attacks aren\u2019t working because Californians are skeptical of the billionaire.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s spending like no one before, and he\u2019s hitting like no one before, and so far, it hasn\u2019t made a difference,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cWe continue to surge, even after weeks of his barrage of lies and attacks…. California voters are not anxious to have someone who wants to buy the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Spencer Pratt\u2019s Make L.A. Great Again acolytes and their dark vision of the city<\/a><\/p>\n

Leading all candidates in the race was Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, who was supported by 22% of likely voters. His top GOP challenger, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, was backed by 10%, the poll showed. <\/p>\n

While Hilton and Becerra right now appear to be the likeliest candidates to finish in the top two in California\u2019s June 2 primary, which is required to advance to the November general election, there still remains plenty of time for political fortunes and voter support to rise or fall. Ballots were mailed to the state\u2019s 23.1 million registered voters and early voting sites opened earlier this month, but most Californians have not sent them in thus far. <\/p>\n

For Becerra, the strong poll results indicate an astounding turnaround for a campaign that appeared all but dead just weeks ago. In early April, the California Democratic Party tracking poll showed Becerra with support from just 4% of likely voters. That changed after then-Northern California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who had been the front-running Democrat in the race, withdrew from the campaign and resigned from Congress after he was accused of sexual assault and misconduct. <\/p>\n

The California Democratic Party launched a series of tracking polls in March after leaders and allies grew increasingly concerned that Republicans would win the top two spots in the primary, shutting the party out of the November general election. This prospect, while statistically possible given the crowded field of candidates running for governor, has grown increasingly less likely as California voters finally focused on the contest to lead the nation\u2019s most populous state and the world\u2019s fourth-largest economy.<\/p>\n

Under California\u2019s top-two primary system, only the candidates who finish in first and second place in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their political party or affiliation.<\/p>\n

The poll of 1,200 likely voters took place between May 14 and 16 and has a margin of error of 2.83% in either direction.<\/p>\n

Read more Billionaire Tom Steyer\u2019s $192.4-million self-funded California gubernatorial bid shatters records<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite handwringing among Democrats about being shut out of the governor’s race, a new poll by the state party suggests the two candidates most likely to emerge after the June primary are Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nHilton and Becerra lead in a tightening race in final weeks of California governor\u2019s campaign, poll shows - California Relocation Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=749\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hilton and Becerra lead in a tightening race in final weeks of California governor\u2019s campaign, poll shows - 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