Harris
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - California Attorney General candidate Kamala Harris is leading her opponent, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, according to a recent survey of likely voters.
The survey, performed by San Francisco-based David Binder Research and released Monday, shows the San Francisco District Attorney winning 30 to 27 percent, with 11 percent saying they will vote for minor party candidates and 32 percent remaining undecided.
According to the polling company, their survey is the first to show Harris, a Democrat, ahead of Cooley, a Republican.
Three factors, they say, have contributed to the change in leads:
-First, Harris has started to consolidate her Democratic base, with 51 percent of Democrats stating they will support Harris, compared to just 9 percent for Cooley;
-Second, DBR says a "plurality of independent voters" have now moved to support Harris, as they learn more about the backgrounds, qualifications and policy positions of both candidates; and
-Third, women are now backing Harris in large numbers.
"A significant gender gap now works in Harris' favor, where she has moved to a large lead with both Democratic and independent women," the polling company said in a statement.
DBR said its survey shows Harris will likely increase her lead as the campaign continues into its final four weeks.
"With relatively equal numbers of undecided Democrats and Republicans, the Democratic registration advantage in California will continue to play in Harris' favor and make her the clear favorite to win the Attorney General race on Nov. 2," the polling company said.
The DBR survey was conducted Sept. 23-27 with 800 voters likely to participate in the November general election. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.