Shock Poll: Cox Measured Within Four Points Of Newsom

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox is continuing to close the gap on rival and former Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.

According to fivethirtyeight.com, a poll released today shows Cox at 41% of the vote opposed to Newsom’s 45%. This is a staggering gain Cox has made since the June primary and should certainly raise uneasiness within the Newsom operation, which has long taken the Lt. Gov’s ascension to just plain Gov as a foregone conclusion.

The pollster, Republican media firm Thomas Partner Strategies, conducted its research between September 14^th and 16^th and sampled 1,040 likely voters. “We found a small shift towards John Cox this week in the gubernatorial ballot test, leaving the race tighter than expected. Newsom receives support from 45.2% of the sample this week, compared to 41.1% for Cox.”

While Cox trailed heavily in June primary, perhaps this most recent poll showing a close battle shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just two weeks ago, the California Globe reported on another poll showing Cox only 8 points behind Newsom.

This news will certainly serve to boost morale—and probably fundraising—for Cox’s campaign, which has not backed off attacks on Newsom. And as usual, it looks as if the election is going to come down to the independent and undecided vote.

Cox re-tweeted the following early this morning:

New #CAGov race poll by KFI-AM/KNBC TV has Democrat Gavin Newsom at 45% and Republican John Cox at 42%.

— Nikki Laurenzo (@NikkiLaurenzo) September 19, 2018