Kamala Harris Tops California Democratic Poll for First Time

A new poll shows that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) leading the Democratic Party presidential primary field in her home state of California for the first time.

The poll, by Change Research, showed Harris with 23%, narrowly ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), albeit within the poll’s 2.5% margin of error. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was third, with 20%. The online poll canvassed 2,698 registered voters and 1,609 Democratic primary voters from July 9-11.

In addition, the poll showed, “Sanders (37%) leads among 18-34 year-olds and Biden (23%) leads among 35-49 year-old voters. Harris (28%) has a narrow lead over 50-64 year-old voters. Biden (29%) leads among voters older than 65.”

It added:

Biden leads among Asian Democratic voters in California, polling at 27%, a seven point lead over Sanders (20%). Harris has a 3-point lead among black voters at 29%, followed by Biden (26%). Sanders has a lead among Latinx voters in California, polling at 30%; Harris follows at 21%. Warren leads among white voters, with a five point lead at 29%, followed by Harris (24%).

One month ago, another poll showed Harris in fourth, with Warren surging into second behind Biden. But since the first Democratic debate in Miami, Florida, late last month, where she was widely judged to have done well, Harris has surged nationwide — and at home as well.

In May, when Harris was lagging far behind, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that she had been “outperforming” and played down the prospects of former vice president Joe Biden, then the frontrunner in the state (and still leading in other states and nationwide).

Biden has lost 13 points in the state since the end of May, according to the poll.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.