Becerra widens lead in governor's race as voter focus shifts to Trump, new poll shows

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Set us as preferred SACRAMENTO — Xavier Becerra is poised to make history as California’s first elected Latino governor, according to a new poll.But the survey shows voters, and Latinos in particular, have mixed views on the significance and impact of Becerra’s probable win.According to the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, the veteran Democratic politician was backed by 61% of likely California voters, compared with 34% who supported his Republican rival, former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton.That is slightly up from a September IGS survey that showed Becerra leading by 25 percentage points.“He’s solidified almost unanimous support now among Democrats.

Republicans are almost unanimous in the other direction,” IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said.Becerra, a former U.S.Health and Human Services secretary, congressman and state attorney general, “hasn’t offended any significant parts of the Democratic Party” and has united the party’s voters by “hammering away” against President Trump, DiCamillo said.

When asked to name one or two top priorities for the election, 40% of likely voters chose pushing back against the Trump administration, followed by 34% who cited reducing the cost of living.It’s a reversal from the mid-September survey, when 44% of likely voters said the cost of living was a top issue and 37% listed fighting Trump.Both of those issues far outweighed the concerns of California voters about other issues that dominated the political discourse in past elections, including fighting crime, creating jobs and improving public education and healthcare.

California As Californians prepare to elect a new governor in November, the top concern they want the new leader to prioritize is reducing the state’s entrenched high cost...