logo

California Survey: Independent Voters Shake Up Governor's Race

image
Created: 27 September, 2018
Updated: 17 October, 2022
1 min read

The Public Policy Institute of California released its most recent survey on Californias and their government Thursday -- including public opinion on the upcoming elections. One of the most notable findings is that Democrat Gavin Newsom's lead over Republican John Cox has been cut in half.

PPIC reports that Newsom has a 12-point lead over Cox. It is important, however, to note that this lead is down from 24 points in July. It is also important to note who is driving this shift.

Registered Republicans and Democrats are sticking by their party's candidate, for the most part. Eighty-six percent of likely Democratic voters support Newsom, and 85% of likely Republican voters support Cox.

Independents, on the other hand, are divided -- 42% support Newsom, 37% support Cox, 15% are undecided.

The number of likely independent voters who either support Cox or are undecided increased from July. Independent support for the Republican nominee increased from 33%, and 9% of independent voters previously said they were undecided.

IVN continues to report on the importance No Party Preference voters will play in key California races, including for governor. One poll even suggested that Newsom's lead was cut to as low as 5 points.

Yet as we are just weeks from the election, voters will get little opportunity to hear from both candidates to make an informed decision. In fact, unless they tune in to the single radio debate that both candidates agreed to so far, they won't hear from the candidates at all, outside political ads or statements in the press.

Stay tuned for more coverage on the race.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read