Xavier Becerra’s lead grows over Steve Hilton in California governor’s race, latest poll shows
By Steve Large
Democrat Xavier Becerra holds a commanding lead over Republican Steve Hilton in the final stretch of California’s governor’s race, according to a recent survey of voters.
The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found 61% of likely voters support Becerra, compared with 34% for Hilton.
The latest results show Becerra’s lead growing from 25 percentage points in a September poll by the same institute.
If elected, Becerra would become California’s first Latino elected governor and the first Latino to hold the office in 150 years, since Romualdo Pacheco.
His path to the Democratic nomination was far from certain. Becerra initially polled in the single digits in a crowded field, and his own party released surveys that put pressure on lower-polling candidates to leave the race.
But Becerra’s campaign shifted after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out following sexual misconduct allegations. Becerra gained support as the field changed.
Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist, described Becerra’s rise as a remarkable political turnaround.
“It’s quite a miracle in politics to come from being dismissed by your own party, to being the party nominee in a matter of weeks,” Maviglio said. “There’s been lots of twists and turns in this campaign.”
“And Xavier is the one who emerged from the ashes,” Maviglio said.
With the primary behind him, Becerra has entered the general election with a significant advantage in a state where Democrats hold a large voter-registration edge.
Maviglio said Becerra has taken a cautious approach against Hilton, including agreeing to just one debate ahead of the election.
“Hilton wasn’t able to draw any blood,” Maviglio said.
The survey also found that voters increasingly identified opposition to President Trump’s administration — which Becerra has touted with his own experience as a former California attorney general — as a top priority, ahead of concerns about the cost of living.
