NEW POLL: Steyer Surges to First Place in California

CALIFORNIA— Today, a new Public Policy Polling survey shows Democratic gubernatorial candidate and climate advocate Tom Steyer surging into first place in California’s race for governor, underscoring growing momentum for his closing message focused on lowering costs for Californians and taking on powerful corporate interests. The poll also reiterates the impossibility of a top-two Republican lockout.

The poll finds Steyer leading the field with 21 percent, ahead of Republican Steve Hilton at 20 percent and Xavier Becerra at 18 percent. The poll also shows Steyer with strong late momentum. Among voters who have not yet cast ballots, Steyer leads the field with 20 percent, while Hilton and Bianco are tied at 16 percent and Becerra falls to 13 percent.

“Voters are breaking toward Tom Steyer because they want a governor who will actually take on the corporate interests driving up costs in California — not one funded by them,” said Steyer for Governor campaign manager Heather Hargreaves. “This race has changed significantly over the last two weeks as Californians have learned more about Xavier Becerra’s corporate backers, his record, and his failure to offer any real plan to make life more affordable.”

The results reflect how dramatically the race has shifted over the last two weeks since earlier public polling was fielded. In that time, Xavier Becerra has faced mounting scrutiny over:

• Millions in corporate special interest spending boosting his candidacy — including $1 million from Uber, $950,000 from Meta immediately following mass layoffs
• $500,000 from Chevron-backed interests as Californians continue paying some of the highest gas prices in the country.
• At the same time, Becerra has struggled to articulate a clear affordability agenda, recently telling national television audiences that California — despite skyrocketing housing, utility, and healthcare costs — is the world’s fourth-largest economy and that “something’s going on that’s not bad.”

The poll – which mirrors other recent public and private surveys – underscores Steyer’s growing strength among voters frustrated with Sacramento dysfunction and looking for a candidate focused on affordability, housing, jobs, and corruption reform.

The PPP poll can be found here.

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