More than one-third of registered voters voicing dissatisfaction over California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 pandemic response want him recalled, according to a new poll.
The survey conducted by the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found Newsom’s job approval for handling the pandemic has dropped immensely in recent months, from 49% in October to 31% in January.
Thirty-six percent of respondents said they support a Republican-backed recall effort against the governor, while a 45% majority of voters still said they would oppose the move to vote for his removal.
The recall campaign for Newsom has gained significant support in recent months — gaining over 1 million signatures last month — as a growing number of his political allies ramp up criticism of the governor’s vaccine rollout plan, the inability to reopen schools, and regional stay-at-home orders, Los Angeles Times, reported.
Organizers must receive 1.8 million valid signatures by mid-March in order for the recall question to qualify to be on the November ballot. Currently, they are nearly 30 percentage points away from the campaign’s goal.
The latest UC Berkley poll found fewer than a third of Californians (31%) rating the Democratic governor as doing an excellent or good job in handling the pandemic overall, down from 49% last September. Only 22% of respondents offered positive approval over the state and government’s handling of the vaccine rollout.
Among Republican voters, 84% supported the recall, with just 9% undecided, and another 10% said they trusted Newsom’s response to the pandemic.
Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by almost a 2-1 margin in the predominantly blue state, with 69% opposing recalling Newsom from office and 71% voicing confidence his administration could slow the spread of the virus.
Some union allies of the governor could shift public opinion among Democratic voters if a growing Californians still feel dissatisfied by the November election, according to Democratic consultant Garry South, who said he otherwise thinks more schools will be open in the fall and the government will have a better grip on the pandemic by that point.
Sandra Díaz, vice president and political director of SEIU United Services Workers West, represents janitors, security workers, and other essential personnel who were recently dropped from the Golden State’s priority list by Newsom’s government. Díaz described the move as “like he’s putting us out to die,” adding, “It’s more important for us as a union to see this get better, no matter who that upsets,” Los Angeles Times reported.
Republican political consultant Rob Stutzman said Newsom should be concerned his approval rating is now less than 50% among registered voters, echoing South’s assertion the governor could be in jeopardy for recall if other Democratic groups speak out against his job handling.
With the possibility of a recall proposal on the ballot, the former Republican mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer announced on Feb. 1 his campaign to run for California governor should the ballot measure achieve the necessary signatures for approval. Faulconer teased his campaign in November to the Washington Examiner, saying he would run on principles like a “competition of ideas” to help the state achieve economic recovery from the pandemic.
If the recall campaign is unsuccessful, Faulconer said he will run in 2022.
The Berkeley poll included more than 10,000 registered voters and was conducted online during the last week of January in both English and Spanish. The estimated margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
