Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, is hopeful of engineering a huge upset with his promise of lowering costs and reforming government.

A poll conducted on behalf of Hilton’s campaign indicated that he is narrowing the gap against Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who is highly favored in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom.

David Wolfson, a pollster and faculty member in Columbia University’s Political Analytics graduate program, conducted the survey Aug. 14-18. The text message poll showed Becerra leading Hilton, 49.2% to 41%.

The poll also found 32.9% of respondents not fully committed to their choice or undecided. The poll included a sample of 912 registered California voters. Its margin of error was plus-or-minus 3.3%.

Comparing the Polls

The results are markedly different from those of a Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll poll conducted Aug. 3-9. That online poll of likely November voters indicated a 55% to 37% lead for Becerra. The poll had a plus-or-minus margin of error of 2.5%.

Going back to the first major poll conducted after the June primary by the Public Policy Institute of California, Becerra led Hilton, 63% to 35%.

Hilton Reacts to Poll Findings

“Xavier Becerra’s support is collapsing as more and more Californians learn about his horrific record as HHS Secretary, sending thousands of Latino kids into the clutches of child sex and labor traffickers,” Hilton said in a news release.

“He thinks he’s going to coast to victory as part of the corrupt Sacramento machine, but this poll shows that Californians have had enough and are now rising up to throw out the insiders and vote for the change we so desperately need.”

Hilton Will Appear on “Unfiltered” Tuesday Night

Hilton will field questions about his campaign and policy positions with GV Wire publisher Darius Assemi during a segment of the podcast “Unfiltered” beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday.