Photo courtesy Katie Porter for US Senate campaign March 3, 2023.
New polling numbers show former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, a Democrat, is now the front-runner in the race for California governor. The race got kicked into high gear last month when former Vice President Kamala Harris decided not to be a contender for the state’s top job in 2026. Harris had been considered the top choice to replace Gavin Newsom, who has termed out.
Porter, a lawyer, activist, and college professor, spent three years as the U.S. representative of the 47th Congressional District in Orange County. In 2024, she lost a bid for Dianne Feinstein‘s U.S. Senate seat to Adam Schiff. Earlier this year, Porter was one of a long list of candidates to enter the governor’s race, but the contest was essentially stalled in second gear until Harris made her decision public.
In a new poll by Emerson College, 18% of the voters surveyed support Porter for governor. Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton got 12% of the vote. The rest of the candidates were in single digits, including Republican and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services and ex-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, as well as former Los Angeles mayor and Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa. Surprisingly, Democratic and Southland real estate developer Rick Caruso received 4% of the vote. Caruso has not announced his political intentions for 2026. Many see Caruso as a strong candidate to run again for Los Angeles mayor, challenging Karen Bass.
Meanwhile, 38% of the voters are undecided, which is down from 54% when the poll was conducted last April. The latest Emerson College Poll was taken the first week of this month.
