(Headline USA) An overwhelming majority of Californians do not want Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom to run for president, according to a new poll.
The survey from Quinnipiac University shows that 70% of California residents do not want Newsom to seek higher office, while only 24% say they would like to see him run. Even among Democrats, 54% say they do not want Newsom to launch a 2024 bid.
“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,” Tim Malloy, polling analyst for Quinnipiac University, said in a statement.
In 2021, it appeared voters had finally soured on Newsom. However, he survived a recall effort and cruised to reelection. Still, it appears their support for him could be waning as his mishandling of the state’s budget becomes more apparent.
“It’s true of every governor: When you start having to cut back on the budget, that’s usually a time when voters get more critical of you,” IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo told the Los Angeles Times. “Now, we haven’t gotten there yet. But that’s why we say there’s clouds on the horizon.”
Newsom has denied any plans to run for president in 2024, saying he is “all in” on President Joe Biden. However, he’s continued to fuel speculations about his intentions as he takes on prominent GOP leaders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Last summer, for example, he spent $105,000 on Fox News advertisements in Florida, urging Floridians to look to California if they dislike DeSantis’s “radical” agenda.
Newsom has also called out leaders of his own party.
“Where the hell is my party? Where’s the Democratic Party?” he said after the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. “You guys paying attention to what’s going on?”
