Brown
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - California's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown has an 8-point lead over his GOP rival, Meg Whitman, according to the newest poll results.
With less than two weeks until the Nov. 2 election, the state attorney general is ahead of Whitman 44 percent to 36 percent among likely voters, according to a survey by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
Sixteen percent remain undecided, according to the survey results.
A previous poll by the San Francisco-based research group, conducted Sept. 29, gave Brown 37 percent of the vote to Whitman's 38 percent with 18 percent undecided.
Among those surveyed, independents were more likely to support Whitman in September, with 38 percent for the former eBay CEO and 30 percent for Brown. But they are more divided now, with 37 percent for Whitman and 36 percent for Brown.
Support for Brown has increased among Democrats, liberals, moderates, women and Latinos, according to the new poll results.
Men and whites, the survey showed, remain divided.
Asked which candidate for governor would do a better job handling specific issues, likely voters prefer Brown over Whitman on education 47 to 37 percent, the environment 57-25, and immigration 43-37. They prefer Whitman over Brown on jobs and the economy 47-39, and on the state budget and taxes 48-40.
The survey results, released Wednesday, also showed that more than half of likely voters, 55 percent to be exact, are "dissatisfied" with their choice for governor.
"As they view their ballot options on Election Day, voters are united in their unhappiness with elected officials and the direction of government -- but divided about the leadership they want to help meet the challenges in their lives," Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO, said in a statement.
The findings of the statewide telephone survey, supported by funding from The James Irvine Foundation, are based on calls made to 2,002 California adult residents interviewed on both landlines and cell phones from Oct. 10-17. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish according to respondents' preferences, according to PPIC.
The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent for all adults, plus or minus 3.4 percent for the 1,582 registered voters, and plus or minus 3.5 percent for the 1,067 likely voters.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.