Hillary Clinton Leads in California

CBS 5 Poll: Calif. Voters Favor Clinton, Giuliani

Hillary Leads in California

Polls PDF


CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO California is finally set to be a major player in the presidential primary after the legislature on Tuesday approved a bill to move the primary election from June to Feb. 5, which would make it the largest of 18 states to hold its primary that day.

So, if the election were held today, who would win the California primary?

According to a CBS 5 statewide poll conducted by Survey USA, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead over fellow Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois among likely California Democratic voters. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is running a distant third, followed by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Among the state's likely Republican voters, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani holds a commanding lead over Arizona Sen. John McCain. Former congressman Newt Gingrich, who isn't even running, is currently in third place, according to the poll, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Likely Bay Area voters have similar presidential preferences to voters in the rest of the state, except for two key candidates.

Clinton, who has a big statewide lead in the CBS 5 poll, is running second in the Bay Area. Not only is Obama leading Clinton in the Bay Area by a narrow margin, but his support is stronger in the Bay Area than in any other region of California.

Clinton's statewide lead comes entirely from women, while Obama has strong support among blacks.

"I think a lot of people do feel like they want a member of their own group to represent them, that that person will bring a special perspective to the position that a white male, which is what we've had up until now, might not understand," said San Jose State University assistant professor of political science Melinda Jackson.

Clinton's 22-point lead among women is topped by Obama's 24-point lead among blacks. But no Democratic candidate has a lock on any one group of voters.

Obama appeals to voters looking for a change.

"Personally, he comes across real well," said voter Geri Comstock. "I don't think he has enough experience, but at this point, I'm willing to overlook that."

Clinton's strength is her high recognition.

"Hillary, I'm pretty sure, she's pretty similar to her husband," said Webster Lincoln, "So I guess it's a safe move because we already know pretty much what she's about."