New survey shows 5-way gridlock in California governor's race
Five candidates are essentially tied for the lead in the race for California Governor, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California.
ground.newsHere’s what the most recent polling snapshots in the California governor race are suggesting, based on the latest reporting I can access right now:
Latest poll headlines (most recent items found)
- March 9–15 (UC Berkeley poll): Republicans Steve Hilton (17%) and Chad Bianco (16%) led among likely voters, with a large undecided share (~16%) and Democrats fragmented across multiple candidates.[2]
- Feb. 2x-25 (PPIC poll): Hilton (14%), Katie Porter (13%), and Chad Bianco (12%) were close to each other, followed by Eric Swalwell (11%) and Tom Steyer (10%)—all within the margin of error, indicating a highly competitive field.[4]
- Early May 2026 (California Democratic Party survey reported by ABC10 video): Xavier Becerra surged into a tie for the lead (18%) with Steve Hilton (18%) shortly before the June 2 primary.[6]
- April 27 (CBS News poll video): The race was described as still “wide open” in tracking polling heading into late-April debate coverage.[9]
What these polls have in common
- The race looks crowded and unstable, with multiple top candidates within margin of error and meaningful undecided support—so rankings can shift quickly as candidates consolidate or drop out.[2][4][9]
If you tell me whether you want Democratic primary, Republican primary, or overall top-two polling (and which candidates you care about), I can narrow this down to the most relevant numbers and trends.