Gavin Newsom’s Approval Collapses in California to 46%

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (L) and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (R) talk with reporters after a news conference about the state's efforts on the homelessness crisis on January 16, 2020 in Oakland, California. Newsom was joined by Schaaf to announce that Oakland will receive 15 unused FEMA trailers for the …
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval rating has collapsed in the Golden State, falling from two-thirds in September to 46% now, according to a new poll reported by Politico on Tuesday.

Politico noted:

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval rating has plummeted as the public sours on his pandemic management, according to a new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll that underscores the viability of a campaign to recall Newsom.

The poll found that just 46 percent of California voters approve of Newsom’s job performance — a sharp decline from the two-thirds who backed him in a September IGS poll. His declining standing tracked with growing public disaffection over Newsom’s handling of the coronavirus: the share of voters who said he is doing an excellent or good job dropped from roughly half in September to about a third, while those who faulted him for doing a poor job leaped from 28 percent to 43 percent.

Fiscally, California is in good shape, with Newsom announcing earlier this year that the state expects a $15 billion surplus.

However, he has faced several recent controversies, including his participation in a dinner at the elite French Laundry restaurant while much of the state was under coronavirus restrictions, and electricity blackouts in the midst of a heat wave.

A recall effort is currently under way, with organizers claiming to have gathered some 80% of the 1.5 million signatures necessary by March 17 to put a recall on the ballot. Both Democrats and Republicans have begun jumping into the race to replace him, with former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a moderate Republican, formally entering the race this week.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is How Not to Be a Sh!thole Country: Lessons from South Africa. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.