The exit of Eric Swalwell from the California governor’s race may have changed the playing field among the candidates that are still in the running. The latest poll by Emerson College shows a few candidates are gaining steam, picking up supporters that Swalwell left behind.
The poll is the first one since Swalwell dropped out of the race.
Here are the key takeaways from the latest poll.
Steve Hilton still in the lead
The former Fox New host is maintaining his stronghold among Republicans with 17% of registered likely voters supporting him while several Democrats continue to split up support from Democratic-leading voters.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is in second place with 14%, but he’s now tied with a Democrat on the rise.
And Democrats are beginning to narrow the gap with the Republican frontrunners, the poll showed.
Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra rising
After months of no standouts among the Democratic candidates, Steyer has begun to break through at 14%, tying with Bianco for the first time since the billionaire entrepreneur jumped into the race.
Former Health Secretary and former California State Attorney Xavier Becerra also appears to have new momentum with 10%, tying with former Congresswoman Katie Porter.
Looking at the data from only Democratic voters, Steyer has 20% of the support, trailed by Xavier Becerra at 19% and Katie Porter at 15%.
With Swalwell’s departure, Becerra gained 15%, according to Emerson College Polling.
With so many Democratic candidates splitting up votes, two Republican candidates, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, could head to the November run-off. Conan Nolan reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
Widening gap between Hilton and Bianco
The two Republican candidates continue to split the GOP vote, but the latest poll shows Hilton is gaining more support among Republican voters with Hilton at 48% and Bianco at 40%.
Top issues for California voters
The economy is #1 issue among 41% of the voter, followed by housing affordability at 20% and threats to democracy at 10%, crime and immigration each at 6%.
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