Gavin Newsom is leaving Sacramento with a damning report card.
asserted
Newsom → leave → card
A new poll finds 62% of California registered voters rate his tenure fair or poor, with voters panning his handling of homelessness, housing, taxes, state spending and AI — and nearly two-thirds wanting the next governor to take the state in a new direction.
asserted
governor → find → direction
Just 36% gave Newsom’s overall performance an excellent or good rating in the survey conducted by TrueDot in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Citrin Center and Politico.
asserted
% → give → Center
The biggest group — 39% — rated his performance poor.
asserted
performance → rat → ?
Only 11% called it excellent.
asserted
% → call → it
The verdict was especially harsh on homelessness, where 72% said Newsom had handled the issue not too well or not at all well.
asserted
Newsom → say → issue
Just 25% offered a positive assessment.
asserted
% → offer → assessment
Even voters in his own party gave him poor marks: Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, 57% rated his handling of homelessness negatively.
asserted
% → give → homelessness
Some 69% of voters rated Newsom’s handling of housing negatively, compared with 28% who said he had handled it well.
asserted
he → rat → it
That included 52% of Democrats and Democratic leaners giving him low marks.
asserted
% → include → marks
Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon responded with a decidedly sunnier assessment, citing his electoral victories that included defeating a recall in 2021 and passing Proposition 50, last year’s congressional gerrymandering vote.
asserted
that → respond → Proposition
“Gavin Newsom overwhelmingly won five elections in eight years and is the most popular outgoing governor in the history of PPIC polling the question,” Gardon wrote in a text message to The California Post.
“It’s a shame America’s Favorite Governor can’t run for another term — he’d crush it!”
asserted
he → win → it
Asked whether California’s next governor should generally continue Newsom’s policies or take the state in a different direction, 62% chose a change of course.
asserted
% → ask → course
Just 28% wanted Newsom’s policies to continue, while 10% were unsure.
asserted
% → want → ?
Even among Democrats and Democratic leaners, fewer than half (49%) wanted the next governor to generally continue his policies.
asserted
governor → want → policies
Another 37% preferred a different direction.
asserted
% → prefer → direction
“Gov. Newsom frequently spins us around by saying California has the fourth largest economy in the world and has many firsts,” said Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party.
asserted
Rankin → spin → Party
Rankin blamed Newsom for students’ low test scores and college graduates being unable to “afford homes, pay their bills, or get good jobs.”
asserted
graduates → blame → jobs
“When 62% of Californians are unsatisfied with him, it’s easy to see that his presidential aspirations will be taking a ride on California’s high-speed rail to nowhere,” Rankin said.
asserted
Rankin → ’ → rail
Independents and other voters were more emphatic: 76% wanted a change, compared with just 11% who favored continuing Newsom’s approach.
asserted
who → want → approach
Voters also gave Newsom poor marks on taxes and spending.
asserted
Voters → give → taxes
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Sixty percent rated his handling of taxes negatively, while 35% gave him positive marks.
asserted
% → download → marks
On state spending, 55% offered a negative assessment and 39% a positive one.
asserted
% → offer → one
Newsom also received negative marks on artificial intelligence regulation: 43% said he had handled the issue poorly, compared with 35% who said he had handled it well.
asserted
he → receive → it
Climate change supplied the lone bright spot.
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change → supply → spot
Half of voters said Newsom had handled the issue well, compared with 40% who disagreed.
asserted
who → say → %
Voters’ frustration with Newsom hasn’t translated into support for a Republican successor.
asserted
frustration → translate → successor
Democrat Xavier Becerra led Republican Steve Hilton 55% to 35% among likely voters, with 10% undecided.
asserted
% → lead → voters
Becerra’s campaign, which was endorsed by the current governor, did not respond to requests for comment on how his administration would differ from Newsom’s.
asserted
administration → endorse → Newsom
HiIton told The Post that the poll findings show that the last 16 years under Democratic governors — Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown — have been a “massive failure” and voters want change.
asserted
voters → tell → change
“The only way to get change is to vote for me as governor.
asserted
way → get → governor
Becerra would be four more years of one-party rule — but even worse than Newsom,” Hilton said.
asserted
Hilton → say → Newsom
“He wouldn’t push back on any of the costs and craziness coming out of Sacramento.
asserted
He → push → Sacramento
For everyone who is desperate for change and may be reluctant to vote Republican, I would say: Just try it.”
uncertain
I → vote → it
The online voter survey interviewed 1,149 California registered voters in English and Spanish from Oct. 9-14, including 909 likely voters.
asserted
survey → interview → voters
The survey also exposed a gap between ordinary voters and the participating “policy influencers,” who were surveyed separately.
asserted
who → expose → voters
A separate survey of 213 influencers — who include political staffers, lobbyists, policy advisers and others dialed in to California politics, according to Politico — found they were more likely to back Newsom’s performance as governor.
uncertain
they → include → governor
Among those insiders, 52% rated Newsom’s overall performance excellent or good — compared with 36% of voters.
asserted
% → rat → voters
But even that crowd had its limits: 52% wanted California’s next governor to take a different direction.
asserted
governor → have → direction
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