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Poll Has Gov. Newsom Far Ahead In California Recall

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The fight for California Governor is winding down but it might not be a fight to the finish. A recent UC Berkeley poll shows Gov. Gavin Newsom is far ahead of his opponents.

Just six weeks ago, a UC Berkeley poll showed 50% of likely voters would vote no to the governor's recall and 47% would vote yes.

Friday, the margin widened. Out of 10,000 registered voters, 60% are now expected to vote no and 38% to vote yes—giving Newsom a clear path to victory just four days before the recall election, but polls have gotten it wrong before.

"I remember when President Trump had no chance of winning that election in 2016 and he turned out to win," said Paris Dennard, the spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.

In 2016, Princeton, Fox News, and The New York Times all had Hillary Clinton winning the White House the night before the presidential election.

"Polls can tell you one thing but people and their vote are the only poll that matters," Dennard said.

We asked Sacramento voters if they'd feel comfortable admitting their vote to a pollster.

"I would feel comfortable telling them," said California native Jamaya.

She said it's clear why some may not be as honest.

"The main reason is fear of being judged of your political party and who you're voting for," Jamaya said.

She thinks it may skew the data.

"California typically is a pretty liberal state, so if someone's voting for someone who may not be as liberal, there's definitely judgement," she said.

The UC Berkeley poll gives Newsom a comfortable lead some fear may be unhelpful come election day.

"If people think that they have it in the bag then they don't think they have to come out and vote," said one Sacramento native named Denise.

CBS13 did reach out to Newsom's camp regarding the poll. We did not immediately hear back.

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