Chuck Darwin<p>"With Kamala Harris officially out of the race, Katie <a href="https://c.im/tags/Porter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Porter</span></a> has emerged as the Democratic frontrunner, <br>increasing her support from 12% to 18% since the April Emerson poll,” <br>Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. </p><p>“Steve <a href="https://c.im/tags/Hilton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hilton</span></a>, who was not in the race in April, has jumped to 12%, <br>while the share of undecided voters has dropped from 54% to 38% over the summer. </p><p>Porter leads among voters over 50 (22%), <br>those with a postgraduate degree (35%), <br>and white voters (23%).”</p><p>Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential nomination contest, <br>Governor Gavin <a href="https://c.im/tags/Newsom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Newsom</span></a> leads the Democratic primary with 23%, <br>followed by former Secretary of Transportation Pete <a href="https://c.im/tags/Buttigieg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Buttigieg</span></a> at 17%, <br>Vice President Kamala <a href="https://c.im/tags/Harris" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Harris</span></a> at 11%, <br>and Representative Alexandria <a href="https://c.im/tags/Ocasio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Ocasio</span></a>-<a href="https://c.im/tags/Cortez" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Cortez</span></a> at 9%. </p><p>In the Republican primary, <br>40% support Vice President JD <a href="https://c.im/tags/Vance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Vance</span></a>, <br>10% support Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Kennedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Kennedy</span></a>, <br>and 9% Florida Governor Ron <a href="https://c.im/tags/DeSantis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DeSantis</span></a>. </p><p>Governor Gavin Newsom holds a 44% job approval rating, and 38% disapproval. <br>President Trump holds a 30% job approval among California voters, and 58% disapproval. </p><p>On the generic congressional ballot, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Democrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Democrats</span></a> have a 22-point advantage: <br>54% support the Democratic candidate while 32% support the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Republican" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Republican</span></a>; 15% are undecided. </p><p>A third of voters (33%) support the proposal to redraw California’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections, while a quarter (25%) oppose; 42% are unsure. <br>“Support to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the Midterm Elections is strongest among Democrats by a 23-point margin, 42% to 19%, <br>and opposed by an eight-point margin among Republicans, 36% to 28%. </p><p>A majority of independent voters are unsure, while 25% oppose and 23% support,” Kimball said.</p><p>The <a href="https://c.im/tags/economy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>economy</span></a> is the top issue for 30% of California voters, <br>down from 40% in April, <br>followed by <a href="https://c.im/tags/housing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>housing</span></a> affordability at 19%, <br><a href="https://c.im/tags/immigration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>immigration</span></a> at 15% (up from 7% in April), <br>threats to democracy at 13%, <br>and <a href="https://c.im/tags/healthcare" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>healthcare</span></a> at 8%. </p><p>Housing affordability is 14 points higher for California voters compared to U.S. voters overall, <br>while concern for threats to <a href="https://c.im/tags/democracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>democracy</span></a> is ten points lower than the national poll.</p><p>A majority (61%) of California voters view <a href="https://c.im/tags/tariffs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>tariffs</span></a> as more of a tax on U.S. consumers, <br>while 26% view tariffs as a tax on the foreign country. </p><p>Democrats view tariffs as a tax on the consumer, 79% to 11%, while Republicans see tariffs as a tax on the foreign country, 54% to 32%. </p><p>A majority of California voters (60%) think mass deportations of undocumented/illegal <a href="https://c.im/tags/immigrants" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>immigrants</span></a> in California are a bad thing, <br>consistent with the April Emerson poll; <br>40% think mass <a href="https://c.im/tags/deportations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>deportations</span></a> are a good thing.</p><p>Forty-nine percent of voters think the California government should spend more on <a href="https://c.im/tags/firefighter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>firefighter</span></a> staffing and equipment, <br>knowing that increased funding may require a tax increase, down from 62% in February; </p><p>43% think the government should spend the same, up eight points from February, and 8% think it should spend less.</p><p>Just over half of California voters (51%) agree that Los Angeles is an ideal host city for the 2028 Summer <a href="https://c.im/tags/Olympic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Olympic</span></a> Games, while 27% disagree. Twenty-three percent are unsure. </p><p>Black voters (64%), voters aged 30-39 (57%), male voters (54%), and college-educated voters (54%) most agree that Los Angeles is an ideal host city for the Olympics.</p><p>Republican voters (42%) and voters aged 50-59 (33%) are most likely to disagree that Los Angeles is an ideal host city for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. </p><p><a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">emersoncollegepolling.com/cali</span><span class="invisible">fornia-2026-poll/</span></a></p>