Exclusive | Steve Hilton trails Xavier Becerra in California governor’s race — but voters dislike Becerra more: poll

Xavier Becerra looks like he’ll run away with the California governor’s race in a matchup with Republican Steve Hilton — but voters aren’t exactly thrilled about it.

A new poll commissioned by Hilton’s campaign found Becerra, a career politician of more than three decades, leading the governor’s race 52% to 37%. And yet, just 32% of likely California voters viewed the Democrat favorably, which was the same figure as Hilton’s favorable rating.

Echelon Insights’ poll this month — obtained exclusively by The California Post — found that Becerra had a higher unfavorable rating, at 37% to Hilton’s 30%.

The numbers suggest Becerra’s substantial lead in the race owes more to Democrats’ overwhelming voter registration advantage than any broad enthusiasm for his campaign. Becerra has ducked reporters and held few events since the June primary election.

Hilton also remains unfamiliar to many voters. Twenty-one percent said they had never heard of the Republican, compared with 15% who had never heard of Becerra.

“A majority of Californians want change, not more of the same,” Hilton told The Post. “As we get closer to the election, we’ll be asking a simple question: why would you vote the same way and expect a different result?” 

He added, “Everyone knows Becerra wouldn’t change anything, and would just be a rubber stamp for the costs and craziness from his Democrat friends in Sacramento.”

President Donald Trump, who endorsed Hilton, fared worse with California voters than both gubernatorial candidates, with 28% viewing Trump favorably and 64% unfavorably.

“This poll shows that the only strategy Democrats have got — trying to tie me to President Trump — has completely failed,” Hilton said. 

“Californians know that the insane costs and craziness we all have to put up with here are caused by Democrat policies from Sacramento not policies from Washington.”

However, when asked how they would vote to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom if the election were held today, 52% of people polled still chose Becerra and 37% chose Hilton. Eleven percent were unsure.

Half of voters in the poll said they definitely or probably would consider voting for Becerra, compared with 40% who said that of Hilton. And 45% said they would not consider Hilton, versus 38% who said they would not consider Becerra.

Hilton’s campaign sees an opening among voters it identifies as “key voter targets.”

When the poll gave respondents a series of critical statements about Becerra’s record, including his tenure as U.S. health and human services secretary in which hundreds of thousands of migrant children reportedly went unaccounted for, the statewide matchup tightened to 44% for Becerra and 42% for Hilton.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, is seeking to become California’s first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Echelon Insights conducted the English-language survey for Hilton’s campaign in mid-September, and it included 1,199 likely California voters.

The pollster said it weighted the statewide results to reflect the likely electorate. The reported margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

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