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A Dead Heat for Brown and Whitman in Race for Governor, Poll Shows
A Field Poll (.pdf) released earlier this week showed that gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman are in a virtual dead heat. Brown leads by just one point, which poll authors call "statistically insignificant."
The poll also found that about four in 10 voters hold positive images of both candidates. That same number was also found for negative images. But that news means Brown's image has dropped, which was two to one last year.
Brown's cash-strapped campaign has been recently criticized for being too frugal and risky for its strategy of saving money for later in the game. One glaring example is that LAist cannot even get a returned phone call from the campaign or even be placed on Brown's e-mail press list. If Brown's people cannot do the simplest of tasks, what does that say about how his administration will run things? (to be fair, LAist was put on his Attorney General's office with ease).
On the other hand, Whitman's team has been easy to work with, proving at least her promise to run things like a corporation. Still, she's been no angel when it comes to press either, but at least you can get on her press list with ease.
Field Polls pitting Brown and Whitman against each other have been conducted since October of 2009. That first poll told a very different story than today: Brown at 50% and Whitman at 21%.
Whitman has also seen a 14 point lead in votes from Latinos, one of the few ethnic groups that give Brown a majority vote (50% yes, 39% no). White non-Hispanics are 40% for Brown, 48% for Whitman.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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