ShareThisSACRAMENTO, Calif. - Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has built a massive edge over her GOP rival Steve Poizner while taking a narrow lead over likely Democratic nominee Jerry Brown, according to results released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Field Poll.
Her move is a major feat in a state where Democratic voters far outnumber Republicans.
Whitman won the support of 63 percent of likely Republican primary voters while Poizner was backed by only 14 percent, with Whitman's lead growing by 21 percentage-points since the Field Poll last surveyed voters in January.
Whitman also overtook Brown in a possible general election matchup, winning the support of 46 percent of likely voters compared with Brown's 43 percent, the poll found. Brown had led Whitman by 10 percentage points in the January poll and by 21 points in October.
Whitman has gained momentum as she's blanketed the state in TV ads touting her decade-long tenure as CEO of the online auction firm eBay and listing reasons "why we can't trust Steve Poizner."
Poizner, another former Silicon Valley CEO, debuted his first and only ad last month, while Brown has stayed off the airwaves and not appeared in campaign events. Brown, a former governor of California and current attorney general, has counted on his high name recognition among state voters to boost his chances.
"The question now is what does this mean for the Brown camp?" said Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo. "Do you let Whitman have the airwaves to herself without any response from Brown?"
Poizner, who is the state's insurance commissioner, has said his support will grow as he runs more advertisements, but DiCamillo called overcoming his nearly 50-point deficit a "monumental" challenge.
Poizner tried to gain traction during the past weekend's state Republican convention and in Monday night's debate with Whitman, their first ever, by billing himself as the true conservative in the race.
The Field Poll, completed before the impact of Monday's debate could be measured, found Poizner still trailing Whitman by 47 percentage points among respondents who identified themselves as "strong conservatives," a group making up about half of Republican voters.
"There is no segment of the GOP voter population where he's doing particularly well," DiCamillo said.
Voter impressions could still be malleable about 21/2 months before the primary, especially as Poizner and Brown join Whitman on the airwaves, DiCamillo said.
Whitman's ads, which don't mention her party affiliation or the fact that she once gave money to liberal U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, also appear to have persuaded some decline-to-state voters, who make up about a fifth of California's registered voters. Democrats make up 45 percent of state voters while Republicans make up 31 percent.
The Field Poll found 50 percent of decline-to-state voters backing Whitman in a general election matchup with Brown, while 36 percent supported Brown. In such a two-person race, 77 percent of Republicans backed Whitman, while 69 percent of Democrats chose Brown.
Whitman's feat bucks past Field Poll findings that saw decline-to-state voters leaning Democratic.
"Nationwide, this is a difficult year for Democrats so Republicans are doing well in many areas that have recently leaned Democrat," said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College.
With Republicans struggling for years to make headway in statewide races, Whitman's strength in the poll suggests she could break new ground this year, DiCamillo said.
"There hasn't been a statewide Republican candidate who's been that competitive, and it looks like we have that here," he said. "And that's big news."
The Field Poll interviewed 748 likely general election voters and 353 likely Republican primary voters from March 9 to 15. The survey has a 3.7-percentage-point margin of error in its general election results and a 5.5-point margin of error in the Republican primary numbers.
Reach Jack Chang at jchang(at)sacbee.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com
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