Politics/CA Gov Race—
Undecided voters in California are making their choice. According to the newest Emerson College /Inside California Politics poll, many of them are supporting Democrat Xavier Becerra for governor. The Emerson College final poll before the June 2 primary, shows Xavier Becerra (D) out front with 28%, not far behind Tom Steyer (D) with 22%, Steve Hilton (R) 21%, Chad Bianco (R) 12%, in signal digits, Katie Porter (D) 5%, Matt Mahan (D) 5%, and Antonio Villaraigosa (D) 2%.
Since the Emerson poll earlier this month, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra’s support jumped 9%, Steyer’s by 5%, Hilton’s by 4%, and Bianco’s by only one percent. Two other candidates have seen significant declines in support: Katie Porter from 10% to 5%, and Matt Mahan from 8% to 5%. Also, there has been a major drop in the number of undecided this month from 12% to 5%.
Billionaire activist Steyer has donated more than $200 million to his campaign. He has received considerable criticism for bankrolling his run for governor, but it is apparently paying off with voters. Meanwhile, Former U.S. Representative Porter has run very few campaign ads, which may have hurt her in the long run. Last August, an Emerson poll had Porter leading the pack of gubernatorial candidates with 18%. In October of 2025, Porter’s support dropped to 15%. And by February 2026, she was at 10%.
In the California primary, the top two candidates, regardless of party, move on to a run-off in the November general election.
