California Voters Do Not Want Gavin Newsom To Run for President: Poll

A majority of California voters don't want Governor Gavin Newsom to be the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in 2028, according to a new poll.

Why It Matters

Newsom, 57, has served as California's governor since 2019 and previously served eight years as lieutenant governor.

His name has routinely been mentioned as a top Democratic White House contender, though he hasn't officially declared his candidacy or ambitions. He has made notable media appearances including a notable trip to Real Time with Bill Maher and earlier this year he launched a podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, that has included guests including former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

What To Know

An Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey published April 17 found that 59 percent of respondents said they don 't think that Newsom should run for president in 2028, with 41 percent supporting a bid for the Oval Office.

The poll comes in with strict divide along party lines.

While 61 percent of Democratic respondents say they would support a Newsom run, 78 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of independents in the state say the opposite.

Newsom's approval rating among respondents is 33 percent overall compared to 42 percent disapproval. Another 24 percent remain neutral.

The poll, centered on California's 2026 gubernatorial election, was conducted April 12to April 14, 2025. The sample of approximately 1,000 California registered voters has a has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Matt Taglia, senior director at Emerson College Polling, told Newsweek the results are not too surprising considering given Newsom's approval/disapproval rating in this poll—which is significantly lower than his 42 percent-40 percent approval/disapproval rating in a February poll from Emerson.

"There's clearly something driving negative sentiment," Taglia said. "President [Donald] Trump has seen a similar decline in job approval between these two California polls as well."

Other reasons for the shift in voter sentiment, Taglia said, alluding to issues like economics—tariffs—and the California-specific volatility of the housing market. In February, the economy and housing affordability accounted for about 50 percent of California voters' top issues, and has now jumped to 64 percent.

Newsom, during an appearance on Maher's show on March 28, called the current Democratic brand "toxic."

"Governor Newsom obviously cannot control all of these factors directly, but with voters looking for someone to blame, he and the president are natural targets," Taglia said.

He added: "With all of this in mind, it's no surprise there's limited appetite in California for Newsom as a presidential candidate. That could easily change as his tenure as governor comes to a close, and as the Trump administration continues to push its policy agenda. His response to the administration, and to issues closer to home, will likely drive sentiment towards him in the state."

The same poll showed Trump's approval rating at 28 percent and disapproval rating at 56 percent.

The economy is respondents' biggest concern for 40 percent of California voters, followed by housing affordability—24 percent—and threats to democracy, immigration and crime all tied at 7 percent.

What People Are Saying

Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California to Spectrum News: "He's doing what I think is in the interest of Gavin Newsom and not necessarily in the entire party. We have to organize in our districts and then go to the districts in the areas of the country that we need to win over; that means door to door, text message, phone calls and have those conversations. I just don't think his strategy is necessarily about changing public perception. It's about honestly helping position Gavin to run."

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling: "A majority of Democrats, 77 percent, and half of independent voters see tariffs as more of a tax on the consumer, while 48 percent of Republican voters see them as more of a tax on the foreign country."

What Happens Next

Newsom is term limited and will leave office after the 2026 statewide election. There has been speculation that former Vice President Kamala Harris—the Democratic nominee for president in 2024—could potentially run for the governor's mansion, though she has also been mentioned as a possible 2028 White House contender.