Gavin Newsom’s Popularity Surges In California After He Gerrymandered State

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval rating among his state’s voters has jumped in the past several months, according to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll released Tuesday.

The newly released survey found that the majority of adult respondents, 54%, as well as the majority of likely voters, 56%, said they approve of Newsom’s job performance. The number marks an increase from PPIC’s statewide poll released in June, which found that just 46% of likely voters said they viewed the California governor’s leadership favorably. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE — Motocross Legend Goes Scorched Earth On Gavin Newsom, Endorses Republican For Governor)

In November, California voters approved Proposition 50, a gerrymandering measure backed by Newsom and the state’s Democrats. Prop 50 aims to add up to five Democratic seats in the Golden State in an attempt to counter Texas Republicans’ redistricting efforts.

Of those surveyed, 62% of likely voters said that the passage Prop 50 was “mostly a good thing” for California, while just 38% said the gerrymandering measure was “mostly a bad thing.” Meanwhile, 56% of likely voters thought the November election was worth the cost, compared to 43% who said it was not, according to the poll.

“Folks are in a post-Proposition 50 state of mind,” Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s polling director, said, Politico reported on Monday. “The public feels that the governor and Legislature’s interests are aligned more with theirs than the president and Congress and the Supreme Court, for that matter.”

Newsom’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“Tonight, California sent a message loud and clear: we will always stand up for free and fair elections and make sure that the voices of California’s voters are heard,” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said in a Nov. 4 statement following the passage of Prop 50. “When Republicans try to rig the rules to hold onto power, California Democrats organize, mobilize, and win.”

Additionally, about two in three adults said that housing affordability is a big issue in their part of California, while 45% said that housing costs in the state are imposing financial strain on them, according to the PPIC poll. Moreover, 56% of respondents said they felt more enthusiastic than usual about voting in California’s congressional election in November 2025, the survey found.

A Politico poll released in November found that 54% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans approve of redrawing congressional district maps as a way to “gain advantage” in the midterms. Politico’s survey also found that 68% of Democratic voters and 57% of Republican voters support redistricting as a way to “neutralize the other party.”

There have been numerous recent reports that Newsom is a likely contender in the 2028 race for the White House. Newsom conceded during a CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” interview in late October that he is floating a 2028 presidential bid and is planning to make a final decision in the aftermath of the 2026 midterms.

The PPIC poll surveyed 1,676 California adult residents. The median time to complete the survey was 12.7 minutes, and interviews were conducted from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19.

The poll’s sampling error was plus or minus 3.2 percent at the 95% confidence level for the total unweighted sample of 1,676 adults. 

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