Sanders Catches Clinton in California

By David Wright, CNN

27 May 16

new California poll shows Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders locked in a dead heat, while likely Republican nominee Donald Trump trails both Democrats in general elections matchups in the blue state.

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll, released Thursday, finds Clinton ahead of Sanders 46%-44% among likely Democratic primary voters -- within the poll's margin of error.

Clinton and Sanders supporters, according to the poll, match up with other states: Clinton is favored by registered Democrats and older voters, while Sanders leads among independents and younger voters. More women back Clinton and more men back Sanders, but the gender divide is small.

The potentially critical California Democratic primary is June 7. Clinton is going up with ads there starting Friday, with spots targeting Hispanic and Asian-American voters, campaign aides told CNN's Jeff Zeleny, including ads that will be aired in Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese and other languages. Throughout the Democratic primary contest, Clinton has performed far better in states with diverse populations like California.

Sanders has also been running advertising in California.

With fewer than 100 delegates needed before clinching the Democratic nomination -- counting both pledged and superdelegates -- Clinton hopes to sprint to the finish line so she can fully pivot to the general election.

In California, Clinton leads Trump 49%-39% among likely voters in a general election matchup, with 11% saying they are undecided, according to the poll. Sanders also leads Trump in California, 53% to 36%, with 11% undecided.

The PPIC poll also reported that California voters are unhappy with their choices for president in 2016. Just 42% of likely voters said they are satisfied with their options, compared to 57% in May of 2012. Slightly more than half (53%) of Democrats say they are satisfied, but just over a third of Republicans (36%) and independents (35%) say the same.

And the poll found significant opposition to some of Trump's signature policy proposals, which include building a border wall with Mexico and deporting as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Sixty-five percent of likely voters say they oppose the border wall, and 75% favor allowing undocumented immigrants to stay.

The PPIC poll was conducted from May 13 through May 22 through interviews with 1,704 California adult residents. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 points for all adults, plus or minus 3.8 points for the 1,338 registered voters, and plus or minus 4.3 points for the 996 likely voters. It is plus or minus 5.7 points for the 552 Democratic primary likely voters.