Meg Whitman and Republican rival Steve Poizner face off Tuesday in the primary.
(Creative Commons)

While Jerry Brown is considered a shoe-in for the Democratic nod in Tuesday's primary, it looks as though the Republican ballot will come down to the wire.

Let's take a look.

Why Steve Poizner Will Win

On his website, Poizner uses clear, easy-to-read bullet points and direct quotes from Whitman to outline his issues. Both Poizner and Whitman are relatively aligned in their ideas to fix California, and this election may come down to who the general public likes more.

Poizner is a straight shooter and has made a physical outline of all the major issues facing California and how he plans to fix them. Want to know how he feels about education? Immigration? The water crisis? He has it all covered and it's easy to see where he stands.

Whitman on the other hand, is harder to parse out. While she has been an integral part of companies like Disney and eBay, she got nasty with Poizner in her ads and has not been as clear on how she would deal with these same issues.

Why Meg Whitman Will Win

If Poizner doesn't win Tuesday, it can be summed up in one word: money.  Whitman has outspent Poizner almost 10 to 1 and currently leads in the polls, most likely because of that. Her ads have also helped her to a 24-point lead over Poizner as of May 30.

Whitman has taken over the airwaves and has gotten her name out there. If nothing else, people will see her name on the ballot and recognize it right away. Whitman also brings an extensive background leading successful businesses and hasn't been shy about admitting that's the way California should be run.

Deadlock

California is in a state of emergency in terms of its economy, jobs and education. Whitman is building her platform on a "New California," which at this point, many Californians can get behind.  Poizner is hoping the voters want to fix everything, rather than start anew.

Regardless of which candidate wins the party's nomination, he or she will face some stiff competition with Brown.