Seven days before the election, the contest for California governor looks much as it has since June: Democrat Xavier Becerra holding a wide lead over Republican Steve Hilton.
Becerra, a former state attorney general, has led by double digits in polls released over the summer and fall, CalMatters reported Tuesday. The most recent survey it cited, by Emerson College from Oct. 17 to 19, found 60% of likely voters backing Becerra and 33% backing Hilton, a former Fox News host. Most of the few undecided voters leaned toward Becerra when pressed.
Hilton's pitch
Hilton, running for office in California for the first time, has campaigned across the state with heavy social media advertising and a long list of proposals. Among them: $3 gas, tax cuts at every income level, 10 new cities, and an "Office of Fun and Freedom" that would ease rules on nightlife and let dogs into more state parks.
His newest plan would require shelters to give public notice before euthanizing dogs. CalMatters noted he has offered few details on how he would win over the Democratic supermajorities in the Legislature.
Some moves have backfired, according to the report. Ads urging liberals to give a Republican a try angered conservatives, and his claim that Becerra misrepresented his parents' immigrant background drew criticism from Latinos who said it misread how Mexican American families often move across the border. Republican strategist Mike Madrid, who called Hilton substantive, said the attack made him look out of touch.
Another GOP consultant, Tim Rosales, said Hilton has run a good race given the Democratic edge in the state. Hilton has raised $33.6 million, compared with Becerra's $40 million, about twice what the leading Republican raised in the failed 2021 recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom.