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New Poll Shows Rising Disapproval Rating For Governor Gavin Newsom

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- There has been a ten point increase in the number of Californians who say they "disapprove" when asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Gavin Newsom is handling his job as governor?"

That is according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll taken between July 10-15 that surveyed 1,125 California voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percent.

In February 2019, only 28 percent told Quinnipiac they disapprove of Newsom's job performance. But in July, that number rose to 38 percent. His approval ratings have stayed the same, at about 39 percent, but the undecided voters have declined, indicating more people are making up their minds and choosing disapproval.

"He's a new Governor and he just got there. And we've seen this a lot with governors around the country in their freshman term," said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst with Quinnipiac. "So, there's lots of time. I'm sure they'll take notice of it, but this is not entirely rare."

There are no pre-2019 Quinnipiac polls available, but the Public Policy Institute of California has been tracking the popularity of governors for years. If we compare the Quinnipiac numbers for July 2019 to the PPIC numbers for former Governor Jerry Brown in July 2011 (his first year during his second round as governor), it shows Brown with slightly higher approval numbers (42 percent versus Newsom's 39 percent) but much lower disapproval numbers (28 percent versus Newsom's 38 percent).

Note that the PPIC's most recent poll in May 2019 showed Newsom's approval among voters at 45 percent and disapproval at 35 percent, both of which are higher than Brown's in July 2011.

Governor Newsom is out of the state on vacation with his family and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is currently acting Governor.

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