Porter, Hilton lead in wide-open California governor's race: Poll

Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter (Calif.) and Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton are at the top of California’s primary for governor, new polling shows, after Vice President Harris decided against a bid. 

Emerson College Polling found Porter in the lead with 18 percent support, followed by Hilton at 12 percent. In California’s nonpartisan system, the top two candidates move on from the primary to the general, regardless of party affiliation. 

The poll comes after Harris, who was expected to clear the field if she entered the race, announced she would not run to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). 

Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Democrat former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso were next up, with 7, 5 and 4 percent, respectively. 

The rest of the field, including Former Biden Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) and former state Controller Betty Yee (D), earned just 3 percent or less each. 

“With Kamala Harris officially out of the race, Katie Porter has emerged as the Democratic frontrunner, increasing her support from 12 percent to 18 percent since the April Emerson poll,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, in a release. Hilton has made his jump to 12 percent after entering the race in late April.

Since the April poll, the share of undecided voters dropped from 54 percent to 38 percent. 

Given California’s system, it’s possible that two Democrats could advance to the general in an intra-party fight, or the race could see a more classic Democrat-on-Republican contest.

The last time a Republican won California’s governorship was 2006, when former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) scored reelection. And though Trump made inroads in California in November, the state has gone blue in the presidential race every cycle since 1992.

Meanwhile, Harris's decision not to run for governor has raised questions about whether she could try again for the White House in 2028. Newsom, whose tenure as governor is up next year, has also long been seen as a potential 2028 contender.

The Emerson College Polling survey was taken Aug. 4-5 among 1,000 active registered voters in California and had a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error, of plus or minus 3 percentage points.