Yee’s arrests changes California Secretary of State race
April 11, 2014
Following the arrest of Sen. Leland Yee, Democratic state Sen. Alex Padilla picked up the bulk of Yee’s supporters and now trails Republican Pete Peterson by 11 percent, according to a new field poll.
Previously, Peterson led the pack and Padilla came in second with Yee slightly behind Padilla. Yee’s withdrawal is helping Padilla consolidate Democratic voters.
According to the recent survey of 504 likely voters, 30 percent choose Peterson, 17 percent preferred Padilla, 5 percent selected Green Party candidate David Curtis and 4 percent preferred nonpartisan candidate Dan Schnur. With the June 3 primary closing in, 41 percent of voters said they are currently undecided.
After Yee was hauled away in handcuffs, his favorable rating plummeted 24 percent to 15 percent. Yee and 28 co-defendants were arrested in sprawling political corruption case that includes charges of gun trafficking, murder for hire, corruption and fraud.
“What does it take to outrage voters?” asked Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen, a conservative political analyst to the Mercury News. “I know he hasn’t had his day in court, but if that can’t spark outrage, what does it say about California voters?”
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