California Governor's Race Poll: Becerra Leads Hilton 61% to 34% as His Advantage Widens From September
The California governor's race is in its final stretch. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey released on Friday, October 30, found Democrat Xavier Becerra leading Republican Steve Hilton 61% to 34% among likely voters, with 5% undecided — a 27-point advantage, up from a 25-point lead in September.
The poll was conducted online in English and Spanish from October 19 to 25 among 2,787 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Becerra's favorable rating rose to 53%, from 48% in September; Hilton's stood at 34%, with 56% viewing him unfavorably. Asked who would win, 71% of likely voters expected a Becerra victory, compared with 16% who anticipated Hilton becoming governor.
The two camps rank the issues very differently. Across the likely electorate, opposition to the Trump administration's policies ranked first at 40%, followed by affordability at 34%. Among Becerra supporters, 62% put fighting Trump administration policies among their top concerns, nearly twice the 33% who selected reducing the cost of living.
Hilton's supporters offered the opposite order: reducing taxes topped the list at 49%, followed by immigration enforcement at 41% and fighting crime and ensuring public safety at 36%. Lowering the cost of living drew 34%, almost identical to the share among Becerra voters, while only 2% of Hilton supporters selected fighting Trump administration policies.
The partisan math remains Hilton's biggest obstacle, in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one. Each candidate won 94% of voters registered with his own party, but Becerra led 59% to 31% among voters with no party preference or another affiliation. He received at least 50% support in every major region and demographic group reported, leading 72% to 23% in the San Francisco Bay Area; Hilton came closest in Orange County, trailing 50% to 49%. Nearly a third of Hilton's own supporters predicted Becerra would win.
Becerra, a former U.S. health and human services secretary, California attorney general and 24-year congressman, finished first in the June top-two primary with 28%. Hilton, a former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron who hosted a Fox News show from 2017 to 2023, placed second with 24.6%. Californians vote on Tuesday, November 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Sacramento 的加利福尼亚州议会大厦（资料图），新任州长将于11月3日选举后在此办公。照片：dllu，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The California State Capitol in Sacramento (file photo). Photo by dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
