Becerra Holds Narrow Lead in California Governor Primary

California voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose two candidates for the November governor's race from a crowded field. The top-two primary system sends the highest vote-getters forward regardless of party.

The RealClearPolitics average gives Becerra 23.8 percent, Hilton 23.3 percent and Steyer 21.5 percent. Emerson College shows Becerra at 28 percent, Steyer at 22 percent and Hilton at 21 percent. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey lists Becerra at 25 percent, Hilton at 21 percent and Steyer at 19 percent.

The Public Policy Institute of California places Becerra at 23 percent, Hilton at 20 percent and Steyer at 15 percent. One McLaughlin and Associates poll shows Hilton and Steyer tied at 25 percent with Becerra at 19 percent, though that firm is not among those the Los Angeles Times considers select.

He highlights 122 lawsuits filed against the prior presidential administration while serving as attorney general. Hilton, a British-born former Fox News host and naturalized citizen, has run on promises to cut gas prices to three dollars a gallon, halve electricity rates and eliminate state income tax for earners under one hundred thousand dollars.

Steyer, a San Francisco billionaire, is self-funding roughly two hundred million dollars of his campaign and advocates single-payer healthcare. He presents himself as independent of corporate donors. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has predicted lower-than-normal turnout because of the large number of candidates.

Prediction markets give Becerra roughly 70 percent odds of winning in November, Steyer just under 20 percent and Hilton around 9 percent. No Republican has won a statewide race in California since 2006.