SACRAMENTO - A Field Poll released today shows that Democratic candidates are leading in each of the half-dozen ``down ballot'' races in November, with Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown holding a substantial lead in his bid for attorney general.
Even incumbent Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson, from Santa Cruz, trails -- though his battle with state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, is the closest contest.
The poll, taken July 10-23, reveals that as many as 25 percent of the voters are undecided in some races and that many of the candidates are not well-known.
But two that are -- Brown and current Attorney General Bill Lockyer -- have the biggest leads.
Brown leads state Sen. Charles Poochigian of Fresno 54 to 33 percent, but just 16 percent of voters said they even have an opinion of Poochigian. Nearly one quarter of Republicans said they would vote for Brown, the former governor and presidential candidate.
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