Poll shows Swalwell and Porter as top Democratic candidates for California governor

A recent poll indicates that California Representative Eric Swalwell and former Congresswoman Katie Porter are currently leading the Democratic field in the race for governor of California. The survey, conducted by Emerson College Polling in partnership with Inside California Politics, shows a tight race between the two candidates.

Swalwell, who joined the gubernatorial contest recently, garnered support from 12% of Democratic voters, while Porter received backing from 11%. Despite Swalwells slight lead, Porter maintains a 6-point advantage in overall favorability among voters.

On the Republican side, former Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco tops the field with 13% support, followed closely by Steve Hinton at 12%. Notably, 31% of voters remain undecided about the upcoming election.

Californias primary system is nonpartisan, scheduled for June next year. The top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will move on to the November general election.

Porter had been considered a strong frontrunner after entering the race in March. However, her standing faced challenges after videos surfaced questioning her conduct. One video showed her abruptly ending an interview rather than addressing a question about appealing to Trump supporters, while another captured her reprimanding a staffer during a recording session.

Other Democratic contenders include Antonio Ramn Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor and ex-Speaker of the California State Assembly, with 5% support; former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 4%; and billionaire Tom Steyer, also at 4%. All seven Democrats are competing to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom, who is barred from seeking another term due to term limits.

Survey results indicate that 56.7% of registered voters plan to participate in the Democratic primary, 33.9% in the Republican primary, and 9.4% do not intend to vote in the primaries. Voters identified the economy, housing affordability, and threats to democracy as the top three issues facing the state.

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

Author: Aiden Foster