California governor poll raises prospect of two Republicans contesting runoff

Survey puts Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco ahead with Democratic vote split between large field of candidates

Republicans continue to lead the California governor's race amid a crowded field of Democrats, a new poll commissioned by the state's Democratic party found, fueling concerns of a conservative win in the famously liberal state.

The party on Tuesday published the results of a large-scale poll of 2,000 likely voters conducted by Evitarus Research that revealed that 16% of participants would back the conservative political commentator Steve Hilton in the upcoming primary, while 14% would support Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff.