They're Both Losing

Newsflash: Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown are both losing the governor's race.

That's the real message of a new Field Poll showing the two locked in what appears to be very much a dead heat. Both candidates have huge advantages, and both campaigns have failed.

Consider Brown first. In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans, he's running even in the race. He's failed to lock down key parts of his base, including Latinos. And, most shamefully, he's either tied or losing in heavy Democratic Los Angeles County. (Which explains why Meg Whitman's campaign has been talking so much about competing in the Bay Area. It's a head fake, designed to keep Brown tied up in San Francisco while they busy themselves stealing away votes from him in the largest county in the state).

Given how bad Brown is doing, it's a testament to the weakness of Whitman's candidacy that she's not ahead. She's set a national record for spending on a governor's race -- with six weeks still to go -- and can't even boast of a lead. Heck, she's supposedly a fresh face, and yet more people dislike her than like her.

Both Brown and Whitman are in trouble. Neither deserves to win. But someone will.

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