Tight California governor's race between five leading candidates

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The race to replace termed-out California Gov.Gavin Newsom is a tight contest between five candidates, according to a new poll released Wednesday.Three Democrats — former Rep.

Katie Porter, Rep.Eric Swalwell and hedge fund founder Tom Steyer — and two Republicans — conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — are within 4 percentage points of one another, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California survey.“Three months out from the June primary, the top two slots in the gubernatorial race are up for grabs,” Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s survey director, said in a statement.

“Voters feel hammered by cost-of-living realities, so affordability will be a defining issue for them.”In a crowded field of a dozen prominent candidates, Hilton had the support of 14% of likely voters, Porter 13%, Bianco 12%, Swalwell 11% and Steyer 10%, according to the poll.No other candidate received the support of more than 5% of respondents.

One in 10 likely voters were undecided.California The wide-open race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor has attracted a large and diverse field of candidates.The two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary will move on to the general election regardless of party identification.

With nine prominent Democrats in the field, this has led to concerns among party leaders that the Democratic candidates may splinter the vote and the two Republicans could advance to the November ballot.No Republican has been elected to statewide office in California since 2006.While support for Hilton and Bianco held steady since PPIC’s December poll, backing for Porter and former U.S.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra significantly declined as more Democrats entered the contest and Porter dealt with the fallout from videos of her cursing at an aide and scolding a repo...