Poll: Becerra, Hilton lead ahead in California governor's race

Poll: Becerra, Hilton lead ahead in California governor's race

According to the latest Public Policy Institute of California poll, it appears to be a tight race between Democratic front-runner Xavier Becerra and Republican Steven Hilton.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A pivotal primary vote for California governor is coming up next week, and the final poll ahead of the election reveals a highly competitive race. California ballots for the June primary have already arrived in voters' mailboxes, offering a preview of where the candidates stand before the official votes are tallied.

Becerra and Hilton

By the numbers:

According to the latest Public Policy Institute of California poll, it appears to be a tight race between Democratic front-runner Xavier Becerra and Republican Steven Hilton. 

Becerra so far has 23% of the support in the poll, while Hilton has 20%. 

Democrat Tom Steyer rounded out the top three, capturing 15% of those polled, while Chad Bianco and Katie Porter also reached low double digits.

Big picture view:

Beyond candidate preferences, the PPIC poll shows that many Californians are deeply concerned about the high cost of living. More than half of the people polled reported that price increases due to inflation have caused them financial challenges.

Current Gov. Gavin Newsom is also keeping a close eye on the election process. Ahead of next month's primary, Newsom signed a bill this week aimed at increasing accountability around the unlawful seizures of ballots.

The law, which takes effect immediately, criminalizes the act of taking cast ballots from the custody of a local election official, as gubernatorial candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco did earlier this year when he seized more than 600,000 ballots from his own county’s registrar of voters, CalMatters reported.  Bianco claimed he was checking for proof of fraud, but there was no evidence to suggest that happened. 

"He seized a ballot and he’s trying to take over," Newsom said. "What’s going on in Fulton County, one of the most critical swing districts in the United States of America... he sent the FBI, he didn’t have to get a former member of the Oath Keepers down in Riverside down there, he sent the FBI and the old DNI down there. This is happening, it’s happening. Every day he is attacking truth and trust. So yeah, I’m concerned about all of it."

What you can do:

As the election approaches, officials remind voters that ballots are due by 8 p.m. on June 2, and all vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by June 2 to be counted.