State Attorney Genreal Jerry Brown took the lead over businesswoman Meg Whitman in the USC College/Los Angeles Times Poll released over the weekend (PDF). He would take 44 percent of voters while Whitman would get 38 percent if the gubernatorial election were held now, according to the survey.

The same poll in April found that Whitman would win by three percentage points. The big headlines, however, seemed to focus on Whitman's rebound in her race against Steve Poizner for the Republican nomination in June.

After Poizner had gained some ground on Whitman by painting her in television ads as soft on illegal immigration, Whitman released her own advertorial pledges to maintain a tough stance against undocumented migrants. It appears to have worked: If the primary was held now, Whitman would whip Poizner 53 to 29 percent, according to the poll.

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