But Mark Baldassare, the PPIC survey director, noted that 40% of voters said they were not satisfied with their choices of candidates.
“Obviously, it’s a wide-open race, and many people say that they’re currently not satisfied with the choices that they had, so we’ll see how people feel now that there are more choices,” he said, noting that Porter likely benefited from her run for U.S. Senate last year, which helped raise her profile among voters.
Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, smiles as she prepares to address supporters at an election night party, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Long Beach, California. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press)
“The other important thing to keep in mind is that many Californians are saying they’re looking for somebody with experience and a proven track record, but not necessarily somebody who’s gonna continue to do what Gavin Newsom has done, although he remains popular as governor,” Baldassare said.
The PPIC survey also found Trump with the lowest approval ratings since his term started nearly a year ago: 25% of California adults and 29% of likely voters approve of his performance, down from 30% and 33% at the start of the year, respectively. Those numbers are driven by partisan identity: Just 4% of Democrats and 21% of independent voters approve of the president, while 79% of GOP voters say they approve of Trump’s performance.
More than two-thirds of Californians and likely voters also disapprove of some of the president’s key policy pushes, including the job Immigration and Customs Enforcement is doing and the deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities, including Los Angeles. And 70% of both groups say Congress should take action to extend the tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
“A lot of what we’re seeing in terms of the president’s approval rating, and for that matter Congress, has to do with a misalignment between the priorities of Californians, policy-wise, and what they’re seeing coming out of Washington right now,” Baldassare said.
