Majority in California against Newsom recall: poll

A majority of Californians oppose an effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), according to a new poll. 

Nearly 6 in 10 likely voters say they would vote to keep Newsom in office in a recall election, a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California found. 

Specifically, on the state’s coronavirus vaccine distribution, a majority of residents polled said they have a positive view of Newsom’s rollout efforts. 

Fifty-five percent of adults and 54 percent of likely voters surveyed said they approve of Newsom’s job performance, the survey found. 

Petitioners, who cite Newsom’s tax policy and coronavirus lockdown measures as top grievances, have collected enough signatures for a recall election, a date for which has yet to be set.  

Several prominent national California politicians like Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Vice President Harris have thrown support behind Newsom in the wake of the recall effort. 

“I want to thank our friend and governor, Gavin Newsom, for his leadership,” Harris said earlier this month. “I support him 100 percent.”

Newsom has dismissed the recall effort as a “power grab” by “extreme right-wingers.” 

The Public Policy Institute of California survey was conducted May 9-18 among 1,705 likely voters. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.