Gavin Newsom’s Approval Rating Tanks

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California avoided recall in 2021. He was easily reelected the next year in the most reliably Democratic state in the country. His popularity has been declining recently.

A new poll published on November 7 by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) found that Californians are unhappy with Newsom’s administration. For the first time since he took office, the data show that more Californians disapprove of Newsom (49%) than approve (44%).

Newsom’s national political involvement, according to Berkeley IGS Director Mark DiCamillo, may be to blame for his plummeting support ratings. He continued by saying that support for him among Republicans is very polarized. Ninety-five percent (95%) of Democrats support Newsom’s involvement on the national stage, while 85% of Republicans disagree with him. In contrast, seventy percent of Democrats are in favor of it.

Republicans aren’t the only ones criticizing Newsom. Senator John Fetterman (D) of Pennsylvania said as much about Newsom during a speech in Iowa on November 4. He said Newsom was “running for president but not having the guts to announce it.”

The charges came after Newsom flew to China to have a debate about climate change measures. At the month’s end, he’ll be on Fox News debating Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis. For nearly two years, the liberal governor has been criticizing his conservative colleague.

Nathan Click, a spokeswoman for Newsom, told Fox News Digital that the survey is “an outlier” and isn’t accurate. He cited a poll conducted by Morning Consult and released on November 1 that found 56% of respondents approved of the Democratic governor and 38% disapproved.

Whether or not this poll is an outlier, it nonetheless reveals that not everyone in California is pleased with Newsom’s behavior in recent months. But if the governor shares Click’s sentiments, we shouldn’t expect any changes to be made.