Overview
- UC Berkeley IGS poll finds Steve Hilton at 17% and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 16%, with Democrats Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter at 13% and Tom Steyer at 10%.
- Most other Democrats register at 5% or less, while about 16% of likely voters are undecided, down sharply from October’s levels.
- The nonpartisan top-two primary could send two Republicans to November if Democratic support stays splintered, though a GOP statewide win remains historically unlikely.
- Democratic Chair Rusty Hicks has publicly pressed low-viability candidates to step aside, with party discussions pointing to mid-April for consolidation moves even as names remain on the ballot.
- Affordability dominates voter concerns overall, while Republican voters coalesce around cutting waste, fraud and corruption, helping concentrate support behind Hilton and Bianco.