**Becerra Takes Lead in California’s High‑Stakes Primary Race** California voters head to the polls Tuesday amid a tightly contested jungle primary. A new Emerson College poll shows former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra surging to a 28 % lead, overtaking billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer at 22 % and former political commentator Steve Hilton at 21 %. The shift marks a dramatic turnaround from a poll conducted two months earlier, when Becerra lingered at just 5 % support in the Berkeley/IGS survey. ### Key Takeaways - **Front‑runner status:** Becerra now leads the three‑candidate field with a 6‑point advantage over Steyer and a 7‑point edge over Hilton. - **Rapid momentum:** The former HHS secretary’s support jumped from 5 % to 28 % in a short period, suggesting effective campaign outreach and voter realignment. - **Competitive landscape:** Despite Becerra’s lead, the race remains fluid; Steyer and Hilton together command nearly half of the electorate, keeping the primary highly competitive. - **Implications for the general election:** A Becerra victory in the jungle primary would likely consolidate Democratic support ahead of the November gubernatorial contest, shaping the policy agenda for the state’s next administration. - **Poll methodology:** The Emerson College poll surveyed a demographically weighted sample of likely California voters, with a margin of error of ±3 percentage points. Read Full Article: [Read Full Article](https://news.ababil360.com/xavier-becerra-surges-ahead-in-california-gubernatorial-jungle-primary/) #CaliforniaPolitics #XavierBecerra #GubernatorialRace #JunglePrimary #TomSteyer #SteveHilton #EmersonPoll #CAElections2026 #DemocraticLeadership #newsababil360
