California Senate, Governor Contests Could Shape Up as Close Races

The Democrats have the edge right now in the California senator's and governor's races but by margins that suggest both races are competitive, according to a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll conducted March 8-10.

Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, who the poll shows far ahead of Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is within 4 points of Democrat Jerry Brown, trailing him by a 45 percent to 41 percent margin. If Poizner pulled off an upset and was the candidate, Brown would be leading him by 48 percent to 33 percent. The margin of error is 4 points.

In the Senate race, former Republican Rep. Tom Campbell is leading Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, by 33 percent to 24 percent in the race for the party's nomination. State Sen. Chuck Devore, the favorite in the race of conservative activists, lags at 7 percent.

All three trail three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, but Campbell comes close. Boxer leads Campbell by 47 percent to 43 percent, Fiorina by 49 to 40 percent and DeVore by 49 percent to 39 percent.

Aside from sparring with one another, the Republican candidates have been on the attack against Boxer's record, but she has refused so far to respond. The San Jose Mercury News quoted Boxer as saying, "I'm not really engaging anyone right now because I don't know who is going to win the races,"

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