How about some good news? PPP poll: Brown leading by 5 in CA

[WI_DEM]

Brown leads in California

Meg Whitman has spent millions and millions of dollars on her campaign for Governor of California but most voters still don't like her. In large part due to her continuing personal unpopularity she trails Jerry Brown 47-42.

Brown's lead isn't much a function of his own popularity- a plurality of voters in the state view him in a negative light with 42% seeing him favorably and 45% unfavorably. Republicans (86%) are much more strong in their dislike of Brown than Democrats (69%) are in their favor and independents split against him by a 30/55 margin as well.

Whitman, however, is even more unpopular. Only 35% of voters view her in a positive light with 49% seeing her negatively. That's a slight improvement from a 30/50 spread when PPP last polled the race in July but shows Californians still haven't grown particularly found of her.

Whitman is winning independents 45-37 and has her party base pretty much locked up at 84-8. But she's showing very little appeal to Democrats, winning just 12% of their voters and you simply can't win as a Republican in California without showing the ability to get more support across party lines than that.

PPP is finding in Gubernatorial races pretty much everywhere this year that if there's an unpopular outgoing incumbent that person's party is likely to lose the Governor's office. California is just another example of that rule- Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to be the least popular Governor in the country at a 20/69 approval rating and that can't be helping Whitman's prospects for keeping the office in GOP hands.

A lot of Democrats have complained that Brown is not running a particularly active campaign and voters in the state as a whole hold that view as well. Just 35% think Brown is running hard, compared to 74% who say the same for Whitman. But whatever Whitman's doing isn't working well enough and at this point it looks like Brown is in a solid position.

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/

[WI_DEM]

1. It seems that Dems are beginning to pull ahead in the Pacific states

CA and WA now--which is good, while the news in the upper MW (WI, OH, MI) is getting worse. hopefully the Dem gains in the west will begin moving east.

[progressoid]

2. Jeez, that is good news.

Especially after just reading that Russ is down 7 points in WI.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

3. Democrats moving ahead in the West. nt

[jenmito]

4. Andy Barr of Politico just told Andrea Mitchell that Whitman and Brown are tied.

They were talking about how much more money Whitman has spent than Brown, calling it "exponentially more than Brown."

[Kdillard]

5. Yippee. I am thrilled by this news. Hopefully more polls will confirm

ths news.

[femrap]

6. And may it increase to double digits...nt

[ej510]

7. Let's hope the October 12th debate puts this thing away for Brown!

[WI_DEM]

9. Did she agree to only one debate!?

[uponit7771]

8. Brown should tie Whitman to Arney as much as possible

[WI_DEM]

10. exactly! he has only a 20% approval rating.

[angee_is_mad]

11. YAY!!!

Go Jerry!!!