The new Rasmussen poll of the California gubernatorial race — the first survey since Republican former eBay CEO Meg Whitman became implicated in a scandal over having hired an illegal immigrant housekeeper — shows Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown, who previously served as governor from 1975-1983, building up his newfound lead against her.
The numbers: Brown 49%, Whitman 44%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4% margin of error. In the previous Rasmussen poll from two weeks ago, Brown led Whitman by 47%-46%.
Also of note, the TPM Poll Average now gives Brown a bare lead of 45.2%-45.1% — the first time in many weeks that he has been ahead in this measurement.
Whitman’s past strong performance in the polls came from her heavy self-financing –Â at over $119 million, she is the biggest self-financing candidate ever in this country. However, other recent polls, such as a recent survey from Public Policy Polling (D), have suggested that Whitman reached the point of over-saturating the market. And the maid story probably isn’t helping her, either.