Whitman Leading, Senate Race Tied

Things are tightening up in the big California primary races:

GOP governor candidate Meg Whitman's once-huge lead has shrunk to single digits, while Carly Fiorina and Tom Campbell are deadlocked in the Republican race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Whitman leads fellow Republican Steve Poizner 38 percent to 29 percent among likely voters in the June 8 GOP primary, a dramatic drop from the 61 percent to 11 percent lead she posted in the March PPIC poll. Undecided voters account for 31 percent.

"After being written off by so-called experts, we are in striking distance, and our job over these final weeks is to convince the undecided voters that Steve Poizner is the right candidate," said Poizner spokesman Jarrod Agen. "They've been hearing about Whitman for many months now, but they are not sold on her."

While Whitman's TV advertising campaign was in full swing by the time of the March poll, Poizner started advertising afterward. Shifting poll numbers indicate success in his message approach.

In one recent poll Poizner was down by only two, and that has been reflected in Whitman's new advertising push.

Over on the Senate side things are even tighter:

In the GOP primary to determine who will challenge Boxer, Fiorina is polling at 25 percent and Campbell at 23, virtually unchanged from PPIC's March poll. Chuck DeVore is at 16 percent, doubling his numbers in the past two months. But 36 percent remain undecided.

"I think the governor's race, because of all the money and attention devoted to it, has overshadowed the Senate primary,'' said Mark Baldassare, PPIC president.

Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, is the only candidate currently on broadcast television. Her campaign spokeswoman, Julie Soderlund, said this poll "smells like a trend that is moving in Carly's favor'' despite there being virtually no movement.

Campbell spokesman James Fisfis said the poll shows the public has not yet fully engaged in the race.

"Right now, we're holding our own,'' he said, adding that DeVore's gains "show that conservatives are engaged and nobody else is.''

DeVore, who has been endorsed by the Tea Party Express, is "part of a national phenomenon but has a special resonance within California,'' said DeVore spokesman Joshua Trevino.

In general election matchups, Boxer leads Fiorina 48 percent to 39 percent, leads Campbell 46 percent to 40 percent, and leads DeVore 50 percent to 39 percent, according to the poll.

I've seen lots of Carly Fiorina ads, but I don't think I've yet seen an TV spot for Tom Campbell or Chuck DeVore.

The primary is June 8th which means TV will be littered with ads until then.