60% of Californians voting in recall view Republican Party unfavorably, preliminary exit polling shows

Also, only 3 in 10 view COVID measures as being too strict.

As Californians head to the polls to decide on whether they want to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, and if so, who to replace him with, preliminary data is showing positives for the incumbent.

Just 3 in 10 California voters say Newsom's pandemic control measures are too strict, countering a key argument in the recall drive against him. And 6 in 10 in preliminary exit poll results rate the Republican Party unfavorably -- a challenge for those seeking to unseat the incumbent Democrat.

Still, other preliminary results in the recall election exit poll are less incumbent-friendly: Six in 10 voters call the cost of living in their area "unmanageable," and the electorate divides evenly in rating the state's economy positively or negatively, 49-48%.

Helpfully for Newsom -- if it holds in later data -- 54% of voters in preliminary results say he's in touch with their concerns. More, 69%, support the state's student mask mandate. And 63% side with Newsom in seeing vaccination as more of a public health responsibility than a personal choice.