Hilton is also more well-liked than the Republican Party.
asserted
Hilton → like → Party
He’s just barely underwater — 39.0% favorable to 42.5% unfavorable.
asserted
He → ’ → %
His party, in contrast, only has a 37.1% favorable rating, versus a 59.0% unfavorable rating.
asserted
party → have → rating
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
If Hilton falls short on Election Day, local Republicans may well wonder what might have been if the national party had put money and effort into helping him win.
uncertain
him → download → money
The good news for Republicans is that California voters don’t like Democrats very much, either — they have a net positive approval rating of just 1.1%.
asserted
they → like → %
Voters are equally divided over Becerra, and they have turned sour on incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Only 47.2% of voters say Newsom is doing a good job; 50.4% disapprove of his job in office, perhaps reflecting his increasing focus on his presidential ambitions and his trips to early primary states.
Newsom is leaving office at a low point.
asserted
Newsom → divide → point
The poll shows that only 30.1% of voters believe California is on the right track, while 56.2% say it is on the wrong track.
asserted
it → show → track
Worse, 44% of voters have thought about leaving the state altogether.
asserted
% → think → state
That’s Newsom’s legacy in California.
asserted
That → ’ → California
And it explains why Newsom is only running in third place in his home state.
asserted
Newsom → explain → state
Only 14.4% of Democratic voters in the poll said Newsom was their preferred presidential candidate, behind New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (18.4%) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (16.7%).
asserted
Newsom → say → Cortez
You have to be doing pretty badly in California to be losing to Buttigieg — a guy who disappeared from his job for two months without explanation in 2021, while cargo ships piled up at the ports.
asserted
ships → have → ports
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been hinting that she thinks she can run again, is doing even worse.
asserted
she → hint → ?
Her own party’s voters seem to think that Harris has had her chance, and failed, and should step aside for someone else to make a run.
asserted
someone → seem → run
The most prominent are Proposition 39, which would require ID or a PIN number to vote; and Proposition 40, the “billionaire tax,” a one-time confiscation of 5% of the wealth of the state’s richest.
asserted
which → require → state
Proposition 39 is losing, but still has a chance, with 45.6% of likely voters supporting it, and 47.8% opposing it.
asserted
% → lose → it
A big effort from the Yes camp in the closing days could push voter ID across the finish line.
uncertain
effort → close → line
Perhaps some California-style ballot harvesting would be useful in passing Proposition 39.
asserted
harvesting → pass → Proposition
After all, no ID is required (yet).
asserted
ID → require → ?
It’s not that voter ID is unpopular in California.
asserted
ID → ’ → California
But opponents have tied it to the Republican Party, and that’s enough for many voters in the Golden State to turn away.
asserted
voters → tie → State
It’s possible that the recent, high-profile arrests of noncitizens for voting in California might convince voters to give ID a chance.
uncertain
arrests → ’ → chance
Proposition 40 is also struggling.
asserted
Proposition → struggle → ?
A majority — 52.6% — of likely voters say that they oppose the “billionaire tax,” and only 34.5% support it.
asserted
% → say → it
Evidently the sight of entrepreneurs leaving the state has had a sobering effect.
asserted
entrepreneurs → leave → effect
What these results also suggest is that while partisan loyalties remain strong in California, the electorate retains a streak of independence — the same streak that saw voters turn down affirmative action in 2020, the same year that they chose Joe Biden over Donald Trump by a 2-to-1 margin.
asserted
they → suggest → margin
If the “billionaire tax” fails, proponents of Proposition 40 will look back with regret on their decision to make the tax retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026.
asserted
tax → fail → Jan.
That is what triggered the exodus of billionaires in late 2025, which instantly raised public awareness of the proposal — as well as of its staggering economic costs.
asserted
which → trigger → costs
Overall, in a year when the electorate is hungry for change, the results of the poll suggest that what California voters are likely to get is the status quo instead.
asserted
are → suggest → what
His efforts may pay off one day.
uncertain
efforts → pay → ?
Given more time, and more money, he might have made the race more competitive.
uncertain
race → give → time
The Aporia
