Wilson Gains Over McCarthy in Poll

SAN FRANCISCO —  Incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Wilson has increased his lead over Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy, mainly because the challenger is losing support while the percentage of undecided voters is growing, according to a new California Poll.

The poll released on Tuesday showed that nine months before the general election, Wilson is running ahead of Democrat McCarthy by 14 percentage points, up from a lead of seven percentage points in February.

The poll showed that among all registered voters, Wilson gained only one percentage point since the February survey. However, McCarthy has lost 6% of his support among all registered voters. Most of the former backers say they are now undecided.

Among Democrats, McCarthy’s support has dropped 14 points, while Wilson has increased his level of Democratic support by 5%.

Pollster’s Assessment

“There’s no question there’s a strengthing of Wilson’s vote,” pollster Mervin Field said. “The drop-off among Democrats for McCarthy indicates a softness in his support.”

The latest figures for all voters show Wilson leading McCarthy 49% to 35% with 16% undecided.

“We’ve really surged,” said Wilson campaign manager Otto Bos. He said the results showed that McCarthy is “sinking, and sinking fast.”

McCarthy campaign spokesman Kam Kuwata said that the “real message of this poll is that despite all of Wilson’s talk about what a great senator he is, people aren’t buying it. After spending a million dollars, he hasn’t moved his numbers at all.”