The vast majority of Californians do not want their governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, to run for president.
A new Quinnipiac University survey revealed the eye-opening news this week. The poll found that 70% of California voters do not want Newsom to run for the White House in 2024; only 22% said they do.
That figure, which opposes Newsom running, includes 54% of California Democrats.
The results suggest that California voters, though overwhelmingly Democratic, are unhappy with the direction of their state under Newsom’s leadership.
Not only did California’s leaders enact some of the harshest COVID pandemic restrictions in the country — all while Newsom often ignored them — but California is hemorrhaging residents, who are running to Texas, Florida, and other “free states” to escape the burden of California’s high taxes and heavy-handed government that has a penchant for control.
“A resounding thumbs-down from the home team as California voters tell the governor: If you have designs on the big job beyond Sacramento, we’re not on board,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that just 8% of respondents told Quinnipiac that they are “very satisfied” with the way things are going in California right now. On the other hand, 37% said they are “very dissatisfied.”
What has Newsom said?
Newsom said last November that he doesn’t plan to run in 2024. Instead, he is “all in” on supporting President Joe Biden’s re-election, Politico reported.
Still, that could change. Despite Democrats exceeding expectations in the 2022 midterm election, some Democrats believe that Biden must step aside if their party wants a legitimate chance at holding the White House. Those voices worry that Biden’s general unpopularity and tumultuous presidential tenure, coupled with his old age, are a tough sell in a general election.
If Biden steps aside, it would be no surprise to see Newsom, who manages one of the world’s largest economies (California’s GDP is $3.4 trillion), challenge for the Democratic nomination.
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