POLITICAL INSIDER: The Race for #2
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- We are ten weeks away from the June Primary Election here in California and the real contest for California Governor is not for the Top Spot. It's the race for Number 2.
As you may recall, California's primary system sends the Top 2 finishers on to the General Election in November, regardless of party affiliation.
A new and exclusive Action News Poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows 5 candidates with the opportunity to be one of the Top 2 finishers in a large and varied field of candidates.
Out front once again is Democrat Gavin Newsom with 22%. The new poll shows Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa is second with 14%. Newsom and Villaraigosa are followed by Republican John Cox with 11%, Democrat John Chiang at 9%, and Republican Travis Allen with 7%.
None of the rest of the candidates have more than 3% support from the 517 Likely Primary Voters who responded.
21% say they are still undecided.
Valley native, Amanda Renteria, who got into the race late, is not listed as a choice in this latest Action News Poll.
Newsom, Villaraigosa, and Chiang are up 3-4 percentage points from our last Action News Poll conducted 12 weeks ago. Cox had the biggest jump, up 7 points.
Newsom is maintaining a solid lead in the polling, but that's a tight cluster from Villaraigosa to Allen.
Last week, a poll by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California had Cox in 2nd place followed by Villaraigosa.
RELATED: Poll: Newsom surges ahead of Villaraigosa in governor's race
The "Undecideds" may keep the 2nd spot "see-sawing" until the Primary.
According to the research by SurveyUSA, Newsom's support is old, wealthy, liberal, and concentrated in the Bay Area.
Villaraigosa's support is moderate, female, minority, working class and concentrated in the greater Los Angeles area.
Support for Cox is white, male, conservative, high-school educated and concentrated in the Inland Empire.
Since the beginning of the political season, the top candidates have campaigned in Fresno, declaring the Central Valley is key to their victory... or at least a Top 2 finish.
The new and exclusive Action News Poll shows Likely Primary Voters in Central California prefer Villaraigosa, but again, it's a tight race. Villaraigosa has 16%, Newsom is at 14%, Surprisingly, Chiang is third with 12%, Cox has 11%, Allen is at 8%, and 27% are undecided.
This poll has a Credibility Interval of plus or minus 5 percentage points and that's the number that will have that top group of candidates and their campaign staff losing sleep, trying to figure out how to widen or close the narrow gaps between them.
The new Action News/SurveyUSA Poll also examined the U.S. Senate Race. Incumbent Dianne Feinstein has a huge lead.
We also have new numbers on the "job approval" for Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Kamala Harris, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
GO IN DEPTH: SurveyUSA Complete Interactive Crosstabs
