Golden State's Love for Sanders Grows as Support for Clinton Dwindles

Support in California for presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has surged since May while support for Hillary Clinton is on the decline, a Field Poll released on Wednesday shows.

Though Democratic front-runner Clinton still leads the Vermont Independent by 12 points, her support from likely voters in state's Democratic presidential primary stands at 47 percent--a 19-point drop since May. Sen. Sanders, in contrast, has seen his support surge, from just 9 percent in the May to 35 percent in the new poll.

Though the respondents expressed strong support--63 percent--for Vice President Joe Biden entering the presidential race, the poll found he'd only have the backing of 15 percent of voters.

"Bernie Sanders has been making significant inroads across the country, and it's reflected here in California," Mark DiCamillo, the Field Poll's director, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The new poll comes as Sanders gets his first congressional endorsement, the Los Angeles Times has reported, with Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva expected to state his backing at a Tuscon rally on Friday. The Times notes that Clinton has already garnered the endorsement of over 100 members of Congress.

"Latino sectors of the country, African-Americans, people of color--they're feeling the economic pain as much as anyone else," Grijalva told the New York Times. "Bernie has good positions on immigration and education, which are fountain issues for the Latino community. There's an opportunity to talk about those and expose the fact that Bernie is not just a one-tune candidate, which he's not."