SACRAMENTO, California — The majority of California voters think Gov. Gavin Newsom is devoting more of his attention to matters that could help him win the presidency than to governing the state, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll.
Fifty-four percent of registered voters surveyed during the last week of April held that belief, compared to just 26 percent who did not see Newsom as more focused on the White House. The Democratic governor’s approval rating, however, held steady at 46 percent — around the same level as other Berkeley IGS polls from the last two years.
Newsom has gone to great lengths to raise his national profile, running ads in red states, debating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News and announcing a long-shot bid to inscribe gun restrictions in the U.S. Constitution. He has in recent months begun hosting a new podcast interviewing well-known national political figures.
Asked about the results, his spokesperson Izzy Gardon said Newsom’s top priority was leading the state.
“The Governor is focused on one thing: his job — driving LA’s recovery, confronting the housing crisis, and taking Donald Trump to court over his disastrous tariffs that are raising costs for families and blowing a hole in California’s budget,” Gardon said in a statement Wednesday.
After pledging cooperation with President Donald Trump following the Los Angeles-area wildfires, Newsom has returned to a more confrontational posture. In recent weeks he has zeroed in on tariffs as a winning — and as it turns out, poll-tested — issue against an opponent who remains unpopular in California.
Majorities of California voters fear negative impacts from Trump’s reshaping of Washington, including 64 percent who believe tariffs will harm the state’s business and farming, according to the survey.
“The results suggest that a majority of California’s voters fear that the state will bear the financial and social brunt of Trump’s policy decisions,” IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora said. “They fear the effects on everything from the state’s regional economies to its K-12 schooling. Yet, still, poll results also suggest that strong majorities of voters also want the state to continue to support some of its most vulnerable communities, especially undocumented children, as they make policy decisions in this new era.”
A plurality of voters, 48 percent, were confident in Newsom’s ability to look out for California’s interests against Trump, compared to 45 percent who were not.
Views about the governor were, predictably, heavily partisan. Seventy percent of Democrats approved of his job performance, compared to just 11 percent of Republicans.
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