If you’re the far-left governor of arguably the bluest state in the country and you have presidential dreams, wouldn’t you think you’d be pretty darn popular in your own backyard?
Turns out, even a lot of Californians are fed up with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s failure theater, his bullet train to nowhere, his inability to deal with the homeless crisis despite decades of promises, and his extremist social agenda.
In fact, he can’t even get a majority of likely voters to approve of his job performance, at least, according to a new poll released by NBCUniversal Local and Telemundo Station Group:
🇺🇸 California voters are split on Gov. Gavin Newsom as he eyes a possible run for president.
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) October 2, 2026
A new NBCUniversal Local/Telemundo poll of 625 registered voters found 45% approve of his work and 46% disapprove.
93% of Republicans and 56% of independents disapprove, while 74% of… pic.twitter.com/z7i0MhPOcP
🇺🇸 California voters are split on Gov. Gavin Newsom as he eyes a possible run for president.
A new NBCUniversal Local/Telemundo poll of 625 registered voters found 45% approve of his work and 46% disapprove.
93% of Republicans and 56% of independents disapprove, while 74% of Democrats approve. In rural Northern California, just 28% approve, and 60% disapprove.
Still, 66% of California Democrats would lean toward backing him as presidential nominee.
Two things pop out at me when perusing these numbers: 1) Forty-five percent of those surveyed approve of his performance?! I’d love to interview some of them and ask one question: Can you name a single thing that has improved in this state since Gov. Hair Gel took over in 2019?
I’m not being spiteful in saying that I cannot; I honestly cannot come up with one aspect of life that is better here in the formerly Golden State since his descent on Sacramento.
2) “66% of California Democrats would lean toward backing him as presidential nominee.” This shows you what we’re dealing with here, as an apparent mass psychosis has overtaken much of the Left Coast population. They just said they're not that thrilled with him, but in the next breath, they're saying, "Sure, let's vote for him for president."
Sigh.
The survey shows other interesting nuggets about Newsom's presidential prospects: Republicans almost universally can't stand him, and independents don't seem too impressed either. Meanwhile, once you get away from the big metro areas, his support plummets.
Will his elitist, far-left playbook play in the heartland if he runs in '28 as expected?
The poll, conducted Sept. 21 to 24, shows a stark partisan split: About 93% of Republicans said he’s been doing a bad job, and a majority of Independents, at 56%, agreed Newsom is underperforming.
Political consultant Matt Rexroad told The Post that the biggest hurdle for Newsom may lie in the fact that voters outside of the state’s largest metro areas — the Los Angeles metro and the Bay Area — are particularly negative on the ex-San Francisco mayor.
In the largely rural Northern California region, which doesn’t include Sacramento or the Bay Area, only 28% of voters approved of Newsom’s performance in the poll, while 60% disapproved.
We’ve seen a similar movie before: Kamala Harris was widely regarded in California as a tested and formidable politician, but once she left her Sacramento bubble to run in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, she was exposed as an inarticulate, unimpressive leader (yes, I'm being kind).
(Her career was saved when Joe Biden picked her to be his vice president, but when she replaced him on the presidential ticket in 2024, she was widely [and correctly] mocked for her almost complete lack of gravitas.)
I don’t often watch a movie twice, but I would certainly grab the popcorn if Newsom runs and faces the same fate as Cacklin' Kamala.
All that being said, though, I think it would be a mistake for conservatives to underestimate him; he just keeps winning elections despite running the state into the ground. Plus, I have yet to see a Dem name mentioned who I think could beat him. AOC, Pritzker, Buttigieg? Harris Part Deux?! That bunch seems like the B team if I’ve ever seen one.
Donald Trump understands the threat:
🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump is GOING OFF on California and Gavin Newsom for making Californians SUFFER with massive gas prices
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 30, 2026
California has the highest gas taxes in the COUNTRY. and they BLOCK new refineries from being built
Their gas prices are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than… pic.twitter.com/BtxYDqGA3Q
🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump is GOING OFF on California and Gavin Newsom for making Californians SUFFER with massive gas prices
California has the highest gas taxes in the COUNTRY. and they BLOCK new refineries from being built
Their gas prices are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than even HAWAII, who has to ship in every single gallon from THOUSANDS of miles away, to their island in the middle of the PACIFIC OCEAN
"It's SO UNFAIR what California is doing. They closed their refineries. They were actually the third or fourth biggest oil producer in the country. Nobody thinks of California that way. They have a LOT of oil in California, but they don't use it because of the environmental LUNATICS."
"[Californians] are being charged SO MUCH. It's so sad to see and how they keep electing these people that have no idea what they're doing."
Let’s hope the nation is a heckuva lot more awake (or less insane, at least) than the California electorate.
