RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesPOLITICS Becerra maintains commanding lead over Hilton in California governor's race, poll shows By Josh Haskell Friday, August 14, 2026 12:05AM We're less than three months away from the November election when voters will pick a new California governor. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- We're less than three months out from the November election when voters will pick a new California governor - Democrat Xavier Becerra is running against Republican Steve Hilton.
Early voting starts in October in the California governor's race and Becerra has a commanding lead over Hilton, according to the latest poll. The UC Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times Poll has Becerra at 55% and Hilton at 37%, with 7% of voters still undecided.
"At this point, the race looks to be entirely predictable. Most of the voters are breaking down along party lines. Democrats and left-leaning independents are voting for Becerra. Republicans and right-leaning independents are voting for Hilton. And Hilton is doing everything he possibly can to try to get those independents and swing voters to take another look at the race. Becerra's doing everything he can to make sure that they don't," said Dan Schnur, Political Communications Lecturer for USC and UC Berkeley.
Hilton has been campaigning all over California following the June primary, but Becerra has kept a low profile, fundraising and working to unite the Democratic party behind his campaign.
In a statement, Becerra's campaign said: "Today's poll is further confirmation that California voters support Secretary Becerra's focus on lowering the cost of living for California's working families and standing up against the hateful and disastrous policies pushed by Trump and his endorsed candidate, Steve Hilton."
ABC7 reached out to Hilton's campaign for reaction to the poll, but did not hear back at the time of this reporting.
"Hilton has actually made more efforts than many recent candidates for California governor to talk about how he's different from the National Party. But at the core, he does have an R after his name, and at his core, he does have Trump's endorsement. And in a deep blue state like California, barring extraordinary circumstances, those may be hurdles too big to overcome," Schnur said.
Political experts say the less Becerra appears publicly, the less reasons he gives voters to change their minds.
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