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By Anna Commander
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Former Representative and Democratic candidate for California governor Katie Porter is polling second behind Congressman Eric Swalwell with Democrats and fourth overall, a new poll from Emerson on Wednesday shows.
Newsweek reached out to political analysts via email for comment.
Why It Matters
California’s primary advances the top two vote-getters regardless of party, and has multiple prominent Democrats running.
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The race for governor in California is a highly anticipated election as it could potentially show public sentiment for Democrats and Republicans nationwide ahead of midterms.
What To Know
The poll from Emerson shows that Porter has 14 percent of Democratic votes, Swalwell has 23 percent, businessman Tom Steyer has 12 percent of Democratic votes, and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, under former President Joe Biden, has 6 percent.
The poll surveyed 499 Democrats on that specific question and 1000 likely California voters in general from February 13 to February 14 and has a margin of error of 3 percent.
The poll also showed that, regardless of party, Republican candidate Steve Hilton has 17 percent of the vote, Swalwell has 14 percent, along with Republican candidate Chad Bianco, and Porter has 10 percent.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in the survey, "The Republican electorate in California is split between Steve Hilton (38%) and Chad Bianco (37%), while Hilton also picks up a plurality of independent voter support at 22%." Kimball added, “Democratic voters have not yet clearly coalesced around one candidate: 23% of Democrats support Eric Swalwell, 14% support Porter, 12% Steyer and 22% are undecided.”
Cook Political Report assessed on January 29, 2026, that polling showed as many as a third of voters were undecided, signaling a potential wide-open race still.
Porter faced backlash last year after videos surfaced online showing the former lawmaker rebuking a staff member and threatening to leave an interview with a local news station.
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What People Are Saying
Porter on X last week: "Every other major candidate in this race is relying on big money interests who buy access to power. I think democracy shouldn’t be for sale, and as Governor, I won't be either."
Swalwell on X last week: "To summarize: We are not worried about an R on R general. There’s an 81% likelihood one Democrat and one Republican get out of June’s top-two primary. And we have the highest likelihood of being that one Dem. Onward!"
Antonio Villaraigosa, former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles and candidate for governor, on X on Wednesday: "On my first day in office, I'll sign a series of emergency executive orders to #STOPICE because Californians deserve safety, transparency, and the rule of law. We'll ensure that misconduct is documented, investigated, and addressed, and that ICE enforcement actions do not endanger lives or compromise our basic civil rights."
What Happens Next
Candidate filings and potential withdrawals ahead of the March 6 deadline could narrow the Democratic field, affecting how votes consolidate around leading contenders such as Porter and Swalwell before the June 2 primary.
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