Field Poll: Nonpartisan Office the Only Competitive Statewide Race in Calif.

Published: 31 Oct, 2014

1 min read

Election Day 2014 is less than a week away and the season's last Field Poll for California statewide races shows Democrats leading most of the races.

Incumbent Governor Jerry Brown (D) is currently enjoying a strong lead. His opponent, Neel Kashkari (R), has struggled to build support outside of strong and moderate conservatives. Both candidates have considerable weight amongst their respective political parties, but amongst voters with no party preference (NPP), Governor Brown leads 59 percent to Kashkari's 22 percent -- a difference of 37 percentage points.

Further down the ballot, NPP voters hold the key for the next state superintendent of public instruction. The poll shows the race deadlocked between incumbent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck. Each candidate maintains the support of 28 percent of likely voters. A sample of the state's 4 million (23 percent) NPP voters favored Torlakson slightly over Tuck -- 31 percent to 28 percent, respectively.

Forty-four percent of voters report being undecided thus far, making the superintendent's race one of the biggest question marks going into Tuesday.

Here are the likely voter preferences for California statewide races:

Governor

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Lt. Governor

Attorney General

Secretary of State

Controller

Treasurer

Insurance Commissioner

Photo Credit: American Spirit / shutterstock.com

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York

The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....

30 Oct, 2025

1 min read

Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'

The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....

30 Oct, 2025

3 min read

5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering

Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....

31 Oct, 2025

4 min read