36% Support Newsom Recall: UC Berkeley Poll

BERKELEY, CA — A UC Berkeley poll indicates tepid support for recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom in an all-but-certain election later this year.

Just 36 percent of California voters support the recall effort, 49 percent are opposed, and 15 percent are undecided according to the poll conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute for Government Studies.

The numbers are virtually unchanged from a Berkeley IGS poll conducted in January.

Newsom enjoys solid support in the urban areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the poll found robust support for the recall effort in the more conservative suburban and rural areas such as the Inland Empire, the Central Valley and the North Coast/Sierra regions that are traditionally more conservative.

The poll found interest in the recall effort to be tepid at best with less than half of voters surveyed (46 percent) indicating high interest levels.

Newsom’s job performance rating has bounced back in recent months ago according to the poll.

In the most recent survey 52 percent of registered voters said they approved of Newsom’s job performance and 43 percent disapproved. Three months ago, his approval/disapproval ratings were about even.

“Newsom’s improved job ratings appear largely due to voters much more positive view of the Governor’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to three months ago,” the Berkeley IGS said in a statement.

“However, voters continue to be highly critical of Newsom in his handling of several other major issues facing the state, especially in the areas of homelessness and housing costs.”

Another encouraging sign for Newsom is that undecided voters appear to be breaking in his direction. According to the poll, the number of voters supporting the recall effort is unchanged from a survey taken in late January, while he’s picked up four points among those who said they would vote no from the poll taken early this year.

The recall election is expected to take place in October according to Ballotpedia.