Whitman opens big lead over Poizner, closes in on Brown

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With Tom Campbell out of the race for governor, former EBay CEO Meg Whitman has opened a 28-point advantage over Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner in the Republican gubernatorial contest, according to a new Field Poll released today. But Whitman and Poizner are closing in on Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, who is expected to be the Democrats’ standard-bearer in November.

The survey showed Whitman ahead of Poizner in a head-to-head matchup of likely Republican primary voters, 45%-17%, with 38% of those surveyed still undecided.

In head-to-head matchups, Whitman and Poizner both trail Brown, but by a smaller margin that they did last fall. Brown leads Whitman in a hypothetical matchup, 46%-36%. In the last Field Poll, Brown enjoyed a 21-point lead against Whitman.

He enjoys a 17-point advantage over Poizner, 48%-31%, down from a 25-point advantage in October.

You can view or download the entire poll here.
--Anthony York in Sacramento