Shouldn’t run

Newsom shouldn’t run for president, California voters say

By LARA KORTE, JEREMY B. WHITE, MATTHEW BROWN and RAMON CASTANOS

Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to run for president in 2024.

Apparently, voters agree.

Seven out of 10 said they would not like to see him make a bid for the White House in the next election, per a new Quinnipiac University poll of registered California voters. Even a majority of Democrats (54 percent) still say he shouldn’t run next year.

“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,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

The poll didn’t ask voters to give a reason for their decision, but we have a few ideas as 2024 starts to come into focus.

First, President Joe Biden’s stock is up. Much of the speculation around the next election hinged on whether the commander in chief, who is now 80, would be willing — or able — to take on another term. But following his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, where pundits praised his cool handling of GOP heckling, the president’s approval rating has bounced up to 46 percent, per an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Questions about whether Vice President Kamala Harris would run in his stead have dissipated, and first lady Jill Biden indicated last week that a reelection announcement is imminent.

Furthermore, a 2024 bid for Newsom would mean he’d have to abandon his job halfway through a second term.

Even though it seems like the governor has been drinking from the proverbial fire hose throughout his entire tenure, now is especially not an easy time to hit the national campaign trail. Homelessness remains a constant battle, inflation has Californians struggling to meet basic needs, and the state is trying to figure out how to fill a $22.5 billion hole in the budget.

Of course, there’s always the chance that some voters just don’t like Newsom, and don’t see him as presidential material. The polling on that front, however, isn’t conclusive. The same Quinnipiac poll gave the governor a 44 percent approval rating among California voters. A separate poll, from the U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, reported 54 percent approval for the gov — the highest among six of the top California politicians.

That popularity, however, could be tested by upcoming budget woes, IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo told the Los Angeles Times.

“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,” he said.