California Democrats’ search for a front-runner: Polls show 26% of voters undecided in fast-approaching gubernatorial race

With just one month until California’s gubernatorial primary election, the latest polls show the race is still anyone’s game. The big question now is whether Democrats’ failure to rally their support behind a single candidate will result in a disaster for the party.

'The stakes are so incredibly high.'

California’s primary election operates on a nonpartisan basis. This means that the two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Several polls have shown Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host and small business owner Steve Hilton — both Republicans — leading the pack. If California Democratic voters remain split in the primary, there is a chance that Bianco and Hilton could advance as the top two candidates to the general election.

A CBS poll conducted from Apr. 23 to 27 showed that 26% of California voters remain undecided. However, it revealed growing support for Democrats Tom Steyer, a climate advocate and businessman, and Xavier Becerra, a former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, who may be emerging as the Democratic Party's front-runners.

Fifteen percent of those polled said they would likely vote for Steyer, while 13% selected Becerra. Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter received 9% of the vote, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa received 4%, and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond received 1%.

The latest poll showed Hilton securing the most support, with 16% of the vote. Bianco trailed with 10%.

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Tom Steyer. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Alternatively, a poll conducted over the same period by Gudelunas Strategies, sponsored by California Is Not For Sale, showed Becerra with a growing lead — nine points ahead of Steyer and one point ahead of Hilton.

Democrats started the primary with eight high-profile candidates. The field narrowed slightly after former State Controller Betty Yee and disgraced former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race.

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Xavier Becerra. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party, previously urged more Democrats to end their bid in hopes that a clear front-runner will emerge.

Hicks told the Guardian on Friday that the state's open primary "needs to be revised and repealed."

"The current system we have does not work," he said.

"The stakes are so incredibly high," Hicks continued. "We have democracy itself under attack, and the United States [is no longer] the beacon of hope for democracies around the world the way it once was."

California will begin sending mail-in ballots out to voters by May 4.

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