Republicans Lead in California

California Republican Governor candidate Meg Whitman and California Republican Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina are in the lead over their Democratic opponents as shown by the most recent poll.

For the office of Senator

According to a CBS poll conducted by SurveyUSA, Fiorina has now widened her lead to five points over current California senator Barbara Boxer at 47 to 42. One month ago it was 47 to 45. Among females and males, Fiorina's support has changed very little. Her support is also mostly the same among young and old, white, and Hispanics as last month. Boxer's support has decreased slightly with men, independents, and young voters.

For the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Meg Whitman still leads over Jerry Brown at 44 to 43 as shown in the same poll. However, her lead is down two points from last month and Brown has gained four points. His support has also gone up with females while most males support Whitman.

A similar story is shown with the election for lieutenant governor. Gavin Newsom, former Democratic Mayor of San Francisco, leads 43 to 42 over Republican incumbent Abel Maldonado.

Aaaaand what's an election without some controversy?

A controversial measure, Proposition 19, would legalize marijuana use in California. According to the poll, 50 percent support and 40 percent oppose. This is no different than the poll from last month.

If passed, it will still be illegal to sell marijuana. The federal government does not allow for it.

Moving on...

So this is clearly going to be an interesting election for Senator. How weird would it be if Boxer was actually removed from office? That would probably be a shock for most people-a Republican businesswoman taking over a Democratic career-politician in California. Not too long ago most people probably wouldn't believe it was even possible. But it may just happen.

As for Governor, it's also an interesting election. If Meg Whitman wins, that may be surprising. Many people do not like Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership in California, so to elect another Republican right after would be astonishing. But then it's reasonable to assume that many won't vote for Jerry Brown. He isn't as young as he was when he was running for governor in the 1970s. Many people won't vote for him this time around as they want the more youthful, vibrant Jerry Brown instead of the 72-year-old alternative.

As for the marijuana proposition, the passage of that seems imminent. It probably isn't a very smart decision for the voters of California in the long run, but oh well. Dianne Feinstein and Jerry Brown deserve a lot of credit for not supporting the act and going against many of their party (For the record, Meg Whitman is also against the passage). If it weren't for budget problems this measure may not have even been on the ballot. And while the state of California is desperate to fix the budget, it's not exactly ethical to fix that problem by letting people obtain marijuana and harm themselves, not to mention it's a gateway drug. Other opponents include Mothers Against Drunk Driving, California Police Chiefs Association, and many other community and law enforcement groups. Supporters include the ACLU.

Sources used in this article:

CBS 5 Poll: Fiorina Widens Lead Over Boxer, CBS Broadcasting Inc