David Binder Research is out with another poll of the June top-two primary for governor of California on behalf of Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, and it does show some small but notable changes from their survey from just a few weeks ago. While their last poll showed a tight four-way race to join Newsom in the general, this one has the two Republicans a bit further ahead of the non-Newsom Democrats.
The results are below, with the numbers from DBR's last poll in parentheses.
Lieutenant Governor/Businessman Gavin Newsom (D): 29 (26)
Businessman/Taxpayer Advocate John Cox (R): 16 (16)
Assemblyman/Businessman Travis Allen: (R): 13 (10)
California State Treasurer John Chiang (D): 9 (13)
Public Policy Advocate Antonio Villaraigosa (D): 7 (12)
Education/Youth Advocate Delaine Eastin (D): 2 (7)
COO, Department of Justice, Amanda Renteria (D): 2 (4)
In California, candidates are allowed to choose a three-word description of themselves that appears below their name and party on the ballot (here's an example from the 2014 gubernatorial election). The titles you see above for each candidate are those that DBR's poll used to identify them to respondents, which match the ballot designations that will appear on June primary ballots (though candidates still have time to challenge their opponents' descriptions).
The memo says that this is DBR's first poll to use the candidates' actual ballot designations, and they could explain some of the changes from the firm's last survey. While seemingly a small matter, these designations often are a big source of conflict for campaigns. For instance, in 1994, Democratic congressional candidate Zoe Lofgren tried to list her title as "County Supervisor/Mother." Lofgren got plenty of attention when the secretary of state blocked her from identifying herself as a mother; Lofgren went on to win the nomination in an upset, and she still represents the San Jose area in Congress.
More recently, in 2012, Republicans tried to stop Democrat Jose Hernandez from listing his profession as "Astronaut" because he'd left NASA the year before he sought California's 10th District. Hernandez's campaign responded by releasing an awesome web video of him blasting into orbit on the space shuttle and working in zero G on a mission to the International Space Station, relishing the free press. A judge ruled in his favor, saying Hernandez was an astronaut for "more than the time spent riding a rocket," though he ultimately lost his bid for Congress.
That decision was somewhat surprising, though, because the lengthy and quirky law governing ballot designations explicitly prohibits candidates from describing their prior occupations. That can lead to some unusual identifications. Most notably, Villaraigosa can't be listed the way everyone regards him, as "Former Los Angeles Mayor. Instead, he's chosen to call himself a "Public Policy Advocate." By contrast, as current office-holders, Newsom, Allen, and Chiang can and will go by their job titles.
