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

image
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

You Might Also Like

Group of people standing outside in DC.
Ranked Choice Voting Survives Delay Attempts in DC
According to reporting from The Washington Informer and WUSA9 (CBS), D.C. Councilmember Wendell Felder (D Ward 7) has withdrawn his emergency legislation that would have required the D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment before implementing ranked choice voting (RCV) in 2026. Felder’s proposal did not receive enough support from his colleagues during the council’s December 2 legislative meeting, following a breakfast discussion earlier that morning....
04 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read
Bob Foster
Remembering Bob Foster
Independent Voter News is saddened to share the passing of Bob Foster, a trusted advisor to the Independent Voter Project and a longtime friend of our organization. He died on Sunday at the age of 78....
04 Dec, 2025
-
2 min read
Caution tape with US Capitol building in the background.
Did the Republicans or Democrats Start the Gerrymandering Fight?
The 2026 midterm election cycle is quickly approaching. However, there is a lingering question mark over what congressional maps will look like when voters start to cast their ballots, especially as Republicans and Democrats fight to obtain any electoral advantage possible. ...
11 Nov, 2025
-
8 min read