In the face of $150 million in opposition spending, two ballot measures to regulate health insurance insurance rates, require drug testing for doctors and ease caps on medical malpractice awards have declined sharply in popular support, according to the final Field Poll of this year’s election.
The race for state schools superintendent is in a dead heat, but more than four out of every 10 of voters remain undecided about who to support just days before Tuesday’s election, the latest Field Poll reported. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown leads Republican challenger Neel Kashkari by 21 points. Democrats lead in the other races for statewide offices.
Gurney used for lethal injections, San Quentin Prison. (Photo: Department of Corrections)Field Poll: Support for the death penalty as a punishment for serious crimes in California is now at its lowest point in nearly fifty years. The latest Field Poll finds 56% of voters in favor of keeping the death penalty and 34% opposed. The 56% supporting continuation of the state’s capital punishment laws is down from 69% in 2011. Throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s eight in ten California voters favored keeping the death penalty.
Field Poll: Voter support has diminished for Propositions 45 and 46, two health–related ballot initiatives on the upcoming California general election. Currently, 41% of likely voters are inclined to vote Yes on Prop. 45, the Health Insurance Rate Changes initiative, 26% are on the No side, while a growing proportion (33%) are undecided.
California's Highway 1 in Marin County. (Photo: Constantine Kulikovsky)FIELD POLL: Californians are taking a more positive view of the direction of the state than then did four years ago when near record proportions (80%) felt the state was seriously off on the wrong track. However, views about California’s overall direction vary considerably depending on where a voter lives and his or her party registration.
FIELD POLL: There has been a sizeable decline in President Barack Obama’s job approval rating among California voters over the last few months. A statewide Field Poll completed last week found that almost as many Californians now disapprove of the job the President is doing (43%) as approve (45%). This reading is the poorest appraisal of the job performance that Obama has received of his presidency.
The state Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: AMadScientist, via Wikimedia)FIELD POLL: Slightly more voters believe California is generally on the wrong track (46%) than say it is moving in the right direction (41%). In addition, more voters disapprove (47%) than approve (35%) of the job performance of the state legislature. Opinions about both matters are directly related to the party registration of voters. Democrats offer a much more optimistic assessment of the direction of the state and hold more positive views of the job the state legislature is doing than Republicans.
FIELD POLL: According to The Field Poll’s annual assessment of the economic well-being of Californians, 44% of registered voters now report that they are financially better off than they were last year, while 28% are worse off. Another 28% say there has been no change. This is the first time in seven years that more California voters have reported being financially better off than worse off compared to the prior year.
Headquarters of the state controller, Sacramento. (Photo: Coolcaesar)David Evans, a largely unknown Republican candidate in the race for state controller, emerged from obscurity and achieved stunning results on a $600 campaign budget against three established politicians, leaving analysts struggling to interpret the implications of the results.
ELECTION 2014: Dan Schnur, a veteran Republican who dropped his party preference three years ago, has worked for years behind the scenes for elected officials as a communications expert and political strategist. But now he wants to be an elected official himself: He is in a crowded field of contenders for secretary of state. The top two vote-getters will confront each other in the November general election.