Raleigh, N.C.—Attorney General Jerry Brown leads Meg Whitman 46:40 in the California Governor’s race.

Whitman doesn’t receive high marks from Californians. 50% of Californians have an unfavorable opinion of Whitman, including 22% of Republicans. Since winning the primary, Whitman hasn’t won over many Californians, during the primary 44% of voters had an unfavorable opinion of the former EBay executive.

41% of voters have a favorable opinion of Brown, including 63% of Democrats. Brown is gaining strength amongst independents; 47% of independents choose Brown over Whitman. Independents make up 20% of his supporters. Only 31% of independents support Whitman.

Californians aren’t in favor of candidates donating money to their own campaigns, like billionaire Meg Whitman has during this campaign.  52% of voters think there should be some limit on the amount of money a candidate is allowed to give to their own campaign. Californians see no hope for working class candidates. 53% of voters say they don’t think a working class person would be able to conduct a successful state wide campaign today. Voters may resent the millions of dollars Whitman has put into her campaign.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval ratings continue to drop. 71% of Californians disapprove of the Governor’s job, up from 64% in May.

“California voters may be telling Meg Whitman that she can’t buy this election,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.

PPP surveyed ­­­­­­614 California voters from July 23-25.  The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.95%.  Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at (888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.

Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 19%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 71%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 10%

Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Jerry Brown?
Favorable ………….. 41%
Unfavorable……….. 43%
Not Sure……………. 16%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Meg Whitman?
Favorable ………….. 30%
Unfavorable……….. 50%
Not Sure……………. 20%

Q4 The candidates for Governor are Republican
Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown. If
the election was today, who would you vote
for?
Meg Whitman………………………………………….. 40%
Jerry Brown…………………………………………….. 46%
Undecided………………………………………………. 14%

Q5 Do you think there should be a legal limit on
how much money a candidate can donate to
his or her own campaign?
Yes ……………………………………………………….. 52%
No …………………………………………………………. 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%

Q6 Do you think a working-class person could
successfully run for statewide or federal office
in California today?
Yes ……………………………………………………….. 31%
No …………………………………………………………. 53%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%

Q7 Who did you vote for President last year?
John McCain…………………………………………… 36%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 58%
Someone Else/Don’t Remember………………… 6%

Q8 If you are a liberal, press 1. If a moderate,
press 2. If a conservative, press 3.
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 25%
Moderate………………………………………………… 41%
Conservative…………………………………………… 33%

Q9 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%

Q10 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If you are a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 46%
Republican……………………………………………… 34%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 19%

Q11 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If Asian, press 4.
If other, press 5.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 20%
White …………………………………………………….. 61%
African-American …………………………………….. 8%
Asian……………………………………………………… 6%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%

Q12 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 9%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 27%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%