A new USC/Los Angeles Times poll in California finds Gavin Newsom (D) leading John Cox (R) in the race for governor by a wide margin, 45% to 28%.

Gavin Newsom (D) and John Cox (R) are headed for a face-off in California’s general election to replace Gov. Jerry Brown as governor, the Sacramento Bee reports.

“Newsom led Cox as returns continued to roll in, 34% to 26%. Antonio Villaraigosa, the Democratic former mayor of Los Angeles, had 13%, while Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen drew 10% of votes, followed by the other two major Democrats. State Treasurer John Chiang had 9% and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin was drawing 3% of the vote.”

“Republican billionaire Meg Whitman, who spent $144 million of her own money on her unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2010, is backing Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign for governor this year,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Whitman is among the co-hosts of a Silicon Valley fundraiser for the former Los Angeles mayor on Thursday night.”

A new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll in California shows Gavin Newsom (D) leading the gubernatorial race with 21%, but with the race between John Cox (R) and Antonio Villaraigosa (D) for second place unpredictable and volatile.

“With the second slot up for grabs and a substantial bloc of undecided voters two weeks from the election, Newsom’s campaign has unleased a barrage of ads in an attempt to manipulate the primary vote. The strategy aims to influence who he’ll face in the general election, with Cox — a conservative out of step with California’s left-leaning voters on many issues including immigration policy — among his top choices.”

A wildcard: 39% are still undecided.

“You know my position… I think a Republican would be ideal in the general election.”

— California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), quoted by First Read, when asked in a debate about California’s top-two primary system.

Los Angeles Times: “The candidates running to become California’s next governor aggressively clashed in the most contentious and consequential face-off of the campaign Tuesday night, trying to make the case that they are best suited to lead the state as voters begin receiving ballots in the mail. Democrat Gavin Newsom took the stage with a target on his back as the clear front-runner. And the attacks grew deeply personal as the candidates were asked about marital infidelities Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had while they were in office. Newsom had an affair with a close friend’s wife who worked for him when he was mayor of San Francisco.”

San Francisco Chronicle: “For much of the 90-minute session, it was five against one, with the former San Francisco mayor fielding nonstop attacks from the other candidates looking to finish in the top two and advance to the November election to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown.”

Sacramento Bee: “An independent campaign committee supporting Republican businessman John Cox in the state’s gubernatorial race has launched a television advertisement playing off the #MeToo movement by comparing Democratic candidates Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa with high-profile men who have been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.”

“Newsom and Villaraigosa both admitted during their first mayoral terms to having affairs, and both publicly apologized. But it is misleading to equate consensual romantic relationships with allegations against other powerful men who have been accused in numerous cases of serial sexual harassment and misconduct.”

A new UC Berkeley poll in California finds Gavin Newsom (D) continuing to lead the field for governor with 30%, followed by John Cox (R) at 18%, Travis Allen (R) at 16% and Antonio Villaraigosa (D) at 9%.

A new SurveyUSA poll in California finds Gavin Newsom (D) leading the pack for California governor with 21%, followed by Antonio Villaraigosa (D) at 18, John Cox (R) at 15%, Travis Allen (R) at 10% and John Chiang (D) at 9%.

[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]If that order holds up, it would lead to a Democrat vs. Democrat general election race. [/alert]

A new Public Policy Institute of California poll finds Gavin Newsom (D) has surged ahead in the gubernatorial race with 28%, followed by John Cox (R) at 14%, Antonio Villaraigosa (D) at 12%, Travis Allen (R) at 10%, John Chiang (D) at 6% and Delaine Eastin (D) at 5%.  A quarter of likely voters are still undecided.

In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Dianne Feinstein continues to lead Kevin de León (D) by double digits, 42% to 16%, among likely voters, with 39% undecided.

“Doug Ose (R) dropped out of the race for California governor, citing a crowded field of candidates and lack of fundraising needed to defeat Democrats, who are leading in the polls,” the Sacramento Bee reports.

Said Ose: “There’s no money, and if you don’t have enough money, you can’t communicate a message.”

He added: “There’s nobody willing to invest in a statewide Republican campaign to the level that needs to be done. The people that have traditionally written $25,000 checks are now writing $1,000 checks because they don’t see a path for a Republican to win.”

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) plans to endorse Gavin Newsom (D) in the California governor’s race, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The move is not surprising – the two Democratic politicians share the same political advisers, began their careers in San Francisco city politics and have known one another for more than two decades.”

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “has amassed a war chest of more than $16 million for his 2018 bid for governor, far outpacing his rivals and cementing his position as the clear front-runner in a race that’s just starting to liven up,” the Los Angeles Times reports.