Gavin Newsom’s popularity in California is at an all-time low of 49 percent disapproval, and has fallen 11 points since February, dampening speculation about the 2024 run
- California Governor Gavin Newsom is losing the support of Californians as he becomes a more prominent Democratic figure
- Newsom now has a disapproval rating of 49 percent, the worst he has ever received
- He has lost the support of 16 percent of Democrats since February, a Berkeley poll from late October showed
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s popularity is at an all-time low, with 49 percent of the state’s voters disapproving of the Democrat, new polls show.
a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies-LA Times survey A survey conducted in late October found that 44 percent of California voters approve of Newsom, an 11-point drop from the 55 percent approval rating he received in February.
In recent months, Newsom has become a more prominent national political figure — opening the door to more skepticism and praise — and rumors that he was running a shadow campaign for president.
But he has endorsed President Joe Biden and played spokesman for the Democratic president at the Republican debate in California’s Simi Valley in late September, and will debate 2024 Florida Governor hopeful Ron DeSantis later this month.
“He’s kind of hiring a new person,” Berkeley poll director Mark DiCamillo told the LA Times. “He’s no longer just the governor of California. He is spokesperson for the national party and in principle voters are asked to respond to this.’
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has seen his popularity in the Golden State decline as he has become more active in national Democratic politics. Newsom is photographed in September playing the role of Biden surrogates at the Simi Valley GOP debate
Newsom (right) is seen on stage with President Joe Biden (left) in September 2021. Newsom’s popularity with Democrats has fallen 16 points since February as he supported the president and campaigned on national issues
Despite Newsom doing more to boost Democrats’ national image, his approval among Democrats has fallen.
While the governor maintained a 66 percent approval rating from members of his own party, that support has fallen 16 points since February.
Now a quarter of Democrats disapprove of the governor, compared to 12 percent who said the same earlier this year.
Newsom’s dip among unaffiliated voters wasn’t nearly as steep, but he started with a lower approval rating among them.
In February he received 49 percent of the votes from voters without party preference and now stands at 37 percent.
DiCamillo said it’s quite common for governors to lose points with their voters when they campaign out of state.
And voters polled in this survey said they were divided.
Forty-five percent agreed that Newsom would play a more prominent role in national Democratic politics, while 43 percent said they disapproved.
The governor also received mixed reviews during his recent trip to China, with half of respondents approving and another 39 percent saying they disapproved of the climate change-focused visit.