New Poll Finds Gov. Newsom’s Popularity Fell: 26% Say it Harmed their Perception of Gov.

According to a recently released Capitol Weekly poll, Governor Gavin Newsom’s new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom” only made 13% of voters have an improved perception of the Governor, with a huge 26% saying that it harmed their perception of Newsom.

Overall, the poll found that Newsom’s new poll was hurting him rather than helping him. In total, 54% of Californians said that they at least heard about the podcast, with 46% not even knowing about it. Out of all respondents, only one-half of 1% said that they listened to it.

Other questions dealt with how respondents felt about Newsom’s response to a discussion with Turning Point USA co-founder, talk radio host, and activist Charlie Kirk over trans athletes. During the discussion in the podcast, Newsom stunned many by saying that it was “deeply unfair” to have trans athletes competing against women in sports. His response led to many prominent Democrats denouncing his response and many LGBT groups pulling their support of him.

“I think it’s an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” said Newsom. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”

After respondents heard this, they were asked if they generally agreed that transgender women born as biological men should be able to participate in women’s sports. Only 13% said yes, 26% said that it depended on the situations, and a vast majority of 61% said no. A majority of respondents also agreed with Newsom’s response on the issue, with most further noting that the response was a huge change from the Governor.

In total, respondents were given three podcast snippets to listen to from the Kirk interview: the trans athlete snippet, a snippet over the usage of “Latinx,” and a clip where Newsom introduced Kirk and joked that his 13-year-old son wanted to stay home from school to meet him, with Kirk responding by saying “You cancelled school for like two years, what’s one more day!?”

And the results show that it has been hurting Newsom’s popularity.

When asked if the podcast made Newsom seem more moderate, 24% of voters agreed that it did, 17% said it made them less likely to see him as moderate, and 59% said that his podcast made no difference there. More telling was the question over perception of Newsom. Only 13% of Californians claimed an improved perception of Newsom after the podcast, 26% saying that it harmed their perception, and 58% saying that it made no difference.

According to the poll, while “This is Gavin Newsom” has made him seem slightly more moderate, it has also greatly damaged his perception and support amongst voters.

This isn’t Gavin Newsom

Newsom first announced “This is Gavin Newsom” last month amidst many Californians saying that he mishandled the wildfires and the recall movement against him gaining steam.

“I’m here to stress test positions, including my own, in a more transparent manner,” explained Newsom last month. “It’s not a place everyone comes for therapy. I’m not looking to just give the orthodoxy — progressive and liberal talking points. There are so many outstanding people doing that, like our gifted professionals. I add no value in that space. I’m a redundant voice. But what I think I can offer is as a practitioner — not an ideologue, not a pundit: I’m in it as much or more than most elected officials in this country, because I’m in the largest state. I’m in a state that’s deeply on the mind of the administration. I’m in a state that is profoundly critical to the fate and future as it relates to some of the most critical industries like artificial intelligence, and obviously in this remarkable moment as it relates to geopolitical re-calibration.”

Even before the first episode aired, many called him out on hosting a second podcast instead of taking care of his Governor duties. Others said that the podcasts, both This is Gavin Newsom and Politickin’, would serve as a way for Newsom to stay in the public eye between leaving office in 2027 to when he announces his candidacy for president. And then there were those that said this was just a way for Newsom to look good and look more centrist in the leadup to his presidential candidacy.

Episode 1 was a disaster for Newsom, with Kirk walking all over Newsom, and turning the tables on Newsom, by having him admit that he thinks that it was deeply unfair to have trans athletes competing against women in sports. Further in the interview, Newsom even asked for advice for the Democratic party from Kirk and admitted that his own son was drawn more to the GOP now. Republicans roasted Newsom for his performance with Democrats, including Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) blasting Newsom for his reversal on trans rights.

While episode 2 with political commentator Michael Savage was seen as benign, his third episode with former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon caused shock from both the right and the left yet again. Many potential 2028 Democratic presidential primary rivals, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D), slammed Newsom for the episode. With episode 4 returning to banality with Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz (D) as his guest, many Newsom supporters are now apprehensive over just who else Newsom has planned after this breather episode.

“We all want him to stop. Like, what is he doing? Why did he think this was even remotely a good idea,” said Heather Wilson, a Newsom supporter who helped organize local events during his 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial runs, to the Globe on Tuesday. “You didn’t need to show us a poll to tell us that his podcast was hurting him. It was pretty obvious after that trans comment with Kirk and him agreeing with Bannon over some things.

“We all know he is doing this to build up for when he runs for president in a few years. But we just want to see him govern, not shoot his mouth off. When it comes time for debates and primary season, these clips are going to play. He is already going to have to deal with so much, like, say, that time when he ignored COVID guidelines at the French Laundry.

“Me and many others still support him, which I know isn’t a popular sentiment for some. His stance on environmental issues personally does it for me which, again, I know that may not be a popular sentiment to some. But me and many fellow supporters are siding with Republicans when it comes to stopping the podcast. In fact, both of them. At least until he is out of office. This is just awful.”

“He seems to be getting some broader appeal, which is what he wanted,” added media analyst Lydia Hart to the Globe on Tuesday. “But it is coming at the expense of overall support, particularly from the far left, which has been an important part of his base.”