Gavin Newsom has been the champion of the liberal and woke agenda and implemented the most stringent COVID restrictions in the country.
The result has been a mass exodus of Californians leaving the state for better, freer, and greener pastures.
And now as more people get to know what he has done, Newsom’s poll numbers have taken a nosedive.
Newsom’s approval rating down
A recent poll released by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies reveals that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval rating is the lowest it has ever been among voters in the state.
The poll, cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that Newsom’s approval rating is at an abysmal 44%, and his disapproval rating is at 49%.
For comparison, Newsom’s approval rating was at 55% in February of this year, while his disapproval rating was at 39%.
The Governor’s approval rating ranked at 64% in September 2020 during the height of his popularity.
At that time, his disapproval rating was also the lowest ever, coming in at just 36%.
The high numbers were likely a result of the governor’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which put his approval rating among the highest of any governor in the last 50 years at the same point during their first term.
However, those numbers plummeted a few months later after a massive new COVID variant outbreak and growing discontent over state shutdowns and other restrictions.
Newsom was also under scrutiny in November 2020, after he was caught dining out with friends at the luxurious French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley.
But the new numbers reflect a much broader problem, as many constituents are concerned about the state’s economy, high crime rates, and homelessness.
Berkley poll director Mark DiCamillo told the Times that Newsom is “kind of taking on a new persona. He’s no longer just the governor of California. He’s a spokesperson for the national party and basically voters are being asked to react to that.”
And while Newsom says he has no plans to run for President in 2024, his actions have sparked speculation, including taking international trips to Israel and China and joining Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social.
In June 2022, Newsom posted on X, “I just joined Trump’s Truth Social. Going to be on there calling out Republican lies. This could get…interesting.”
Not all bad news for Newsom
Although his approval numbers are low, it’s not all bad news for Gavin Newsom.
The Berkley poll also showed that voters overwhelmingly support Proposition 1, Newsom’s $6.4 billion bond for mental health that will appear on the March 2024 ballot.
Just 15% of voters said that they were aware of the proposal, which is slated to generate enough funding to provide 10,000 new treatment beds across California.
Once respondents read a description of the measure, 60% said they backed the idea, while just 17% were opposed and 23% remained undecided.
The question did not specifically mention that Newsom backed Proposition 1.
But Newsom’s support from Democrats fell 16 points from February, and now a quarter of Democrats disapprove of his performance compared to just 12% last year.
It seems unlikely that one specific proposal will be enough to change most voters’ minds at this point, and Newsom will likely have more tough battles ahead in the court of public opinion.
Informed American will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
