Poll: Half of Likely California Voters See Environment as Key Issue in Governor’s Race

A newly-released poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has found that over half (56%) of likely registered voters in the Golden State say a political candidate’s positions on environmental issues will be very important in determining their vote in the upcoming governor’s race.

Most also say that water is the most important issue to them in that category.

According to the poll, which has a 3.4% margin of error, 67% of Democrats, 54% of independents, and 33% of Republicans believe that Democrat Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Republican businessman John Cox’s views on environmental issues will impact how they vote.

So far, Newsom holds a 24-point lead over Cox, who beat former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigos in the June primary to proceed to the November general election.

Meanwhile, the PPIC poll also found that “likely voters see drought and water supply as the top environmental issue facing the state, followed by air pollution; a majority (58%) support a water bond on the November ballot”; and noted that “[a] strong majority of likely voters (69%) say that the effects of global warming have already begun.”

In an interview with the Flash Report this week, Cox said water, housing affordability, and the gas tax are the three main issues he wants to tackle. He reportedly blamed “out-of-touch-elites” for the Golden State’s water issues, and called Newsom the “poster boy” for these problems.

Environmental issues have been a strong point for Newsom, who last year said he would use specific environmental laws in California to stop President Donald Trump’s border wall from being built.

For all the talk about the importance of environmental issues to voters in the deep blue state of California, the topic does not seem to do well for media outlets — even left-wing ones.

Chris Hayes of MSNBC recently said networks mostly try to avoid discussing environmental issues related to the topic of climate change because “almost without exception. every single time we’ve covered it’s been a palpable ratings killer. so the incentives are not great.”

almost without exception. every single time we've covered it's been a palpable ratings killer. so the incentives are not great.

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 24, 2018

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.