KPIX 5 / SurveyUSA Poll: Newsom Leads Cox, Prop. 6 Gas Tax Repeal Likely To Pass
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Less than three weeks before Election Day, Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom has a double-digit lead over John Cox in the race for California governor, a new KPIX 5/Survey USA poll finds. Meanwhile, a measure to repeal the recently enacted gas tax hike is also leading.
The poll of 762 likely California voters finds the Democrat and former San Francisco mayor leading the businessman and Republican by a margin of 52 percent to 35 percent. While Cox has a narrow lead among voters in the Central Valley and Inland Empire, Newsom is leading by 18 points in the much more populous Los Angeles area and by 47 points in the Bay Area.
Depite Newsom's lead statewide, SurveyUSA found 65 percent of Cox's voters saying they are voting for the Republican enthusiastically, compared to 57 percent of Newsom voters.
• Read The Full Poll Results (.pdf)
In the race for U.S. Senate, SurveyUSA found incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein leading Kevin De Leon in her quest for a fifth term, but has yet to seal the deal. Forty percent said they support Feinstein, while 26 percent support De Leon. Meanwhile, a whopping 35 percent said they were undecided.
Feinstein and De Leon, both Democrats, are scheduled to debate each other on Wednesday.
On ballot measures, SurveyUSA found Proposition 6, which would repeal the gas tax hike recently approved by the legislature, poised to pass. The poll found 58 percent of voters supporting the repeal, while 29 percent are opposed and 13 percent are undecided.
The repeal was backed by a majority of voters surveyed in all age groups and in all regions, including the Bay Area.
Despite opposition from the California Democratic Party, a plurality of Democrats said they support the repeal, with 44 percent saying yes, 40 percent saying no, with 17 percent undecided. Proposition 6 has wide support among Republicans (78 percent) and independents (61 percent).
Proposition 10, which would repeal statewide restrictions on rent control, is not expected to pass. SurveyUSA found only 35 percent support the measure repealing the Costa-Hawkins Act, while 46 percent are opposed and 18 percent are undecided.
Even in the Bay Area, which is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, only 33 percent surveyed support Proposition 10, while 46 percent oppose and 21 percent are undecided.
Other measures that are leading among California voters include Proposition 1, which would help house veterans, and Proposition 7, which would make it easier for the state to remain on Daylight Saving Time year round.
SurveyUSA said they interviewed 1,200 California adults from Friday through Sunday and found 964 registered to vote. Of registered voters, the polling firm determined that 762 had either already returned a ballot or were likely to do so before Election Day on November 6th.
The poll has a margin of plus / minus 4.9 percentage points.