Poll Tracker

Brown continues to lead two other prospective GOP opponents -- state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell. He tops Poizner 43 to 32 percent with 7 percent supporting another candidate and 18 percent unsure. Against Campbell, he leads 42 to 33 percent, while another 6 percent back another candidate and 19 percent are unsure.

Brown remains far better known than any of the Republican candidates, and is also a more polarizing figure. Forty-eight percent view him favorably, 24 percent very favorably, and 41 percent view him unfavorably, 30 percent very unfavorably.

Whitman, who has already burned through millions of her own money on advertising in the state, is the best known candidate in the GOP feld, with a 37 percent to 27 percent favorable-unfavorable ratio and just over a quarter of likely voters unsure how they feel about her.

Both Poizner and Campbell have favorable rates in the 30s and unfavorable rates in the 20s. Thirty-eight percent have no opinion of Poizner and 39 percent no opinion of Campbell.

Brown has not formally announced his candidacy, but with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) dropping out of the race late last month, he is the only Democrat seriously preparing for a campaign at the moment. The latest poll findings, however, may encourage other California Democrats -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein's and Rep. Jane Harman's names have been floated -- to take another look at the race.