Republican Pete Peterson holds a slight edge over his Democratic Party rival, State Sen. Alex Padilla, in the race for California Secretary of State, a new Gravis poll shows. The land-line survey of 580 registered voters showed Peterson with 37% and Padilla with 34%, within the 4% margin of error.
Other races were also close; only in the race for governor, where Gov. Jerry Brown held a 17% lead over Republican Neel Kashkari, was there a leader.
Peterson finished second to Padilla in the June 3 primary, but is considered one of the strongest Republican candidates in the state. Fresno mayor Ashley Swearengin, who won her primary for Controller, is tied with Democrat Betty Yee in the Gravis poll.
The poll also asked about presidential contenders for 2016, and found Hillary Clinton leading Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul 49%-40%, and Paul leading Sen. Elizabeth Warren 44%-33%.