Kamala Harris may be California's native daughter, but a poll published last week says she’s not doing well in California in the presidential race.
In a reliably blue state, the Democratic vice president is favored by only 53% of likely voters. Former President Donald Trump is favored by 38% of likely voters.
By comparison, Joe Biden won California by more than 63% in 2020.
The poll was conducted by San Diego-based Competitive Edge Research and Communication. Competitive Edge President John Nienstedt added that about 8% of respondents said they were either undecided or planned to vote for third-party candidates for president.
He expects some of those undecided or third-party voters will decide to vote for Harris, come election day.
"I think she will come in, in the high 50s, which is going to be 5 to 6% less than where Biden was," Nienstedt said.
"The implication there is — nationally — that’s a good sign for Donald Trump, right? Because if she’s underperforming in California, what does that say for the rest of the country?"
Nienstedt said one factor at play is a Golden State electorate that is in a pretty sour mood. Add it to the fact that voters see Harris, the vice president, as the incumbent.
"Half of voters say things are going in the wrong direction. And she gets tagged as the person responsible for that," he said.
Competitive Edge also polled people on the U.S. Senate race in California, showing the Democrat underperforming but still likely to win. Democrat Adam Schiff is favored by 52%, while Republican Steve Garvey is at 42%.
"The good thing for Schiff is he only needs 50% plus one to win in California and he’s going to do that," Nienstedt said.
Polling on two state propositions shows a conservative trend. Proposition 36, which would increase sentences for drug and theft crimes, is favored by 62% of voters. Prop 33, which would let local governments enact rent controls, appears to be losing with "yes" votes at only 43%.
Proposition 32 would raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour and it seems to be winning, but the yes votes hold only a narrow lead in the Competitive Edge poll.
