A poll conducted after the debate between Steve Hilton and Becerra showed Steve Hilton six points behind.
Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Dan Bongino ShowOct 16, 2026
A Hilton campaign poll conducted Oct. 1-2, right after the Sept. 30 CNN debate, found Becerra ahead 45.7% to 40.1%, a 5.6-point margin that matches the claim's 'six points behind.' The poll was commissioned by Hilton's campaign and is reported only through campaign-linked coverage, so confidence is capped.
Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.
What was said
… gap; others that are using an estimate of the electorate, of who shows up to vote, that reflects the enthusiasm that we're generating, it shows a race that's under 10 points, but we're still behind. Just to be clear, there's no poll that shows me ahead, but the one that came out straight after the debate that I had, the one and only debate with my opponent, Becerra, it showed me six points behind. And what you talked about just then, Dan, the energy that is really out there, I really feel that we have hundreds of people coming to our events. Most of our events these days are in Democrat areas. …
The Dan Bongino Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. An Oct. 1-2 post-debate poll conducted by David Wolfson found Becerra 45.7% to Hilton's 40.1%, a 5.6-point gap that rounds to the claimed six points.[1][2]
Context. The poll was commissioned by Hilton's campaign, an internal poll rather than an independent survey, and the claim does not mention this sponsorship.[1][2][3]
Context. Independent post-debate polling from the same period, such as Emerson and SurveyUSA, showed Becerra leading by 22 to 27 points, so the internal poll is an outlier relative to public surveys.[4][5]
Context. The claim uses 'a poll,' so one post-debate poll showing Hilton six points behind is sufficient for the claim to hold, even though other polls showed wider gaps.[1]
Sources
5 sources: 5 not rated
- 1Exclusive | Xavier Becerra's lead over Steve Hilton shrinks to 5.6 points in new California governor polldata.ddhq.io · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 2Hilton closes gap on Becerra in California governor race, internal poll findsrealtalkdigest.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3Xavier Becerra Backs Out of Another Debate with Steve Hiltoncaliforniaglobe.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 4Poll shows Becerra maintaining wide lead in California ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 5The final stretch: Catch up on what's happened in ...pleasantonweekly.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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