Momentum, thy name is Meg Whitman. The newly released Field Poll caps an extraordinary surge in energy for the Republican gubernatorial candidate in less than one week.
Just a week ago, Whitman was being excoriated by the media for holding a press availability and then would not talk to the press. Questions were asked whether she could handle the heat of a political campaign and the knock-about, unscripted situations that test one’s mettle during a campaign.
She quickly turned those doubts around with two steady performances in front of the media microphones at the state Republican convention and topped it off with a confident turn at the Monday debate with Republican gubernatorial rival, Steve Poizner.
Now the Field Poll finds Whitman pulling away and trouncing Poizner by 63% to 14%. For good measure, the poll revealed for the first time Whitman was ahead of Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Jerry Brown, 46% to 43%.
The break down of the poll numbers in a potential Whitman-Brown race also held good news for the Republican candidate.
There is a clear Northern and Southern California split on the candidates. Brown captures the northern part of the state while Whitman wins in the south, including in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County.
Whitman edges Brown in both gender categories with men supporting her by 47% to 43%; and women in Whitman’s corner by a smaller 45% to 43% edge.
Young voters 18-39 generally support the older candidate, Jerry Brown. The majority of voters over forty are currently in Whitman’s camp.
Whitman’s position in all three poll tested categories point to an even larger advantage for her over time. Holding a lead in the southern part of the state where the greater number of voters reside would be a huge plus. The sense here is that if Whitman continues to perform strongly, her lead with female voters could only grow larger. Younger voters turned out in stronger than usual numbers in the last statewide election but there is a question if that model will hold for the upcoming election.
There is a long way to go in this political season, but looking at the numbers in the new poll and considering the turn-around for their candidate over the last week, the Whitman team is probably feeling pretty good today.