Former Vice President Kamala has not decided whether she will run for California governor next year, but a new poll released Wednesday shows that if she does, she will become a voter’s favorite.
According to a poll from the University of California Irvine University, many voters were undecided, but Harris was the choice of 41% of survey respondents, compared to 29% who selected an unknown Republican candidate. She also has the biggest favorable ratings and is best known compared to all the candidates she has announced.
“The road to governor seems well paved for Vice President Harris if Vice President Harris decides to run,” said John Gould, dean of UCI’s Department of Social Ecology, in a statement. “She lacks majority support at this point, but people know her better than the other candidates and generally see her in a positive way.”
Only 5% of Californians have never heard of Harris, but all other candidates were unknown to far more respondents, including those who previously ran for statewide offices. Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigoza, who ran for governor in 2018, was unknown to 47% of survey respondents. 48% were unfamiliar with former Irvine Congressman Katie Porter, who ran for the US Senate in 2024.
When tested against the announced candidate, Harris is the choice of 24% of voters, according to the vote, and is the only candidate to divide by double digits. However, according to the survey, 40% of respondents were undecided.
Of Democrats who made up 47% of the state’s voters as of February, Harris had almost half of the support, but all the candidates announced were single-digit support. According to polls, Harris led among Californians in all regions and all racial groups.
Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, a Democrat who reportedly ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022 and is debating whether to run for mayor again or governor, is a positive choice among GOP voters, and has won the support of 27% of survey respondents.
Harris, whose representatives did not respond to requests for comment, is expected to decide whether to enter the race by the end of the summer.
According to UCI, the statewide poll of 4,143 Californians was conducted online in two separate polls from May 27th to June 2nd.
Source link