CBS poll shows wide-open California governor race amid cost-of-living angst

California’s race to replace Gavin Newsom stayed wide open as a CBS News poll found that undecided voters outnumbered support for any single candidate, even with Tuesday’s debate looming over a state where affordability dominates nearly every political conversation. More Californians said the cost of living was unmanageable than did five years ago, and confidence in the California Dream was lower overall, especially among older voters.

The CBS News/YouGov survey of 1,479 registered voters, taken from April 23 to April 27, showed a sharp split in what different blocs want from the next governor. Democrats were far more likely than other voters to say California’s economy was doing better, and they overwhelmingly wanted a candidate who would stand up to President Trump. Republicans saw a much darker picture and were more likely to want change. Across the electorate, the traits that stood out most were values and judgment, while Democrats added a premium on experience.

That search for a governing style helps explain why the race has not settled around a single heir to Newsom. Among Democrats who said they wanted a governor with very similar policies to Newsom, Xavier Becerra held a slight edge. Among Democrats who wanted a break from Newsom’s approach, Tom Steyer was a bit stronger. The pattern suggests that many voters are not just asking who can win, but what kind of successor California should choose after a term-limited governor leaves office.

The primary is also structurally built for uncertainty. California’s June 2 election uses the top-two system, so the two finishers advance to November regardless of party. Shirley N. Weber, the California secretary of state, certified 61 candidates for the governor’s ballot, a staggering field that leaves no room for a simple front-runner narrative. Active registered voters will receive ballots for the June 2 primary, county elections officials will begin mailing them by May 4, and the deadline to register is May 18.

The crowded field has been made even more fluid by the exits of former Vice President Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, moves that helped keep donors and voters in shopping mode. CBS News California Investigates has also built an interactive candidate guide from more than 20 hours of accountability interviews with the top-polling candidates, underscoring how much of this contest now hinges on policy differences over gas prices, housing affordability, insurance, high-speed rail, sanctuary state law, redistricting and democracy, transgender athletes and homelessness. In a race without a clear incumbent’s shadow, California voters still seem to be looking for a candidate who feels both steady enough to govern and different enough to trust.