The Cost of Failure: Gavin Newsom's White House Dreams Take a Poll Dive

AP Photo/Meg Kinnard

Gavin Newsom hasn’t really been doing much governing in California; rather, he been trashing the United States while overseas, constantly trying to be that annoying gnat in President Donald Trump's ear, weighing in on the matters of other states, and ignoring his own as it continues its slide into decay and corruption.

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He is, however, widely rumored to be ramping up a presidential run, and he’s showing every sign that he’s hellbent on mounting a campaign. There's just has one little problem: his record.

Click on the tweet for even more; there's that much rotten meat on the bone.

It’s a remarkable record of failure, yet somehow he still comes in second in many polls regarding the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee. (Unbelievably, despite her shellacking in November 2024, Kamala Harris comes in first.) That being said, a new poll has come out showing that the often sheep-like California electorate may be waking up to the fact that almost nothing good has come out of his seven-year reign:


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While he was off in Munich making boondoggle energy deals with foreign countries, Californians are signaling that he might want to pay more attention to what’s going on at home:

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More California voters are now unhappy with Governor Gavin Newsom than at any point since 2024, according to a new poll.

A new survey by Emerson College found that 45% of voters disapprove of the governor’s job performance— the highest number since October 2024 and a six-point increase from December 2025.

Among 1,000 registered voters, Newsom had an approval rate of 44%, a three-point drop from December, the poll found.

In October 2024, the governor’s disapproval rating stood at just 43%.

Those numbers do not spell success for a nationwide campaign. As Kamala knows full well, the California way doesn’t necessarily translate to a huge number of Americans.

Not surprisingly, the fact that it costs more to live here than just about anywhere else in the country weighs heavily on voters’ minds:

The poll also asked voters about the top issues facing Californians, with 37% citing the economy as their No. 1 concern — up three points from December. Nineteen percent cited housing affordability as the state’s top issue.

Critics have argued that California’s high cost of living — particularly soaring housing prices, elevated gas costs, and rising insurance premiums — has worsened during Newsom’s tenure.

They point to strict environmental regulations, limits on new oil drilling permits, and slow housing construction as contributing factors to persistently high consumer prices.

A whopping 53% percent of voters said they have considered leaving the state over affordability concerns, the poll found.

As we’ve reported extensively, many residents and businesses have already left.

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But I'm not so convinced it is total incompetence. No one is that stupid. It's more likely on purpose!  

It’s mind-boggling to me that Gov. Hair Gel is even in the presidential conversation, considering he has almost no positive results to run on. It shows that many Democrats are inherently shallow and will accept failure as long as a candidate looks pretty and can recite lots of woke phrases. Even that, however, may not be enough to get Newsom over the finish line, and not even Californians can give him a 50 percent approval rating.

Wait till he faces Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Ron DeSantis, or any other competent GOP opponent. That should be fun to watch.

Editor’s Note: Gavin Newsom wants to turn America into one big version of California - a failed, overtaxed, dystopian nightmare.

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