Just 6% Of Californians Want Caitlyn Jenner As Governor, Poll Finds - Forbes

Topline

Celebrity and Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner has failed to gain traction with California voters after announcing her run for governor as a Republican, a new UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll found, with most respondents favoring embattled Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom remaining in office—or a different Republican candidate.

Key Facts

Only 6% of the 10,289 California voters polled April 29 to May 5 said they supported Jenner, including just 13% of Republicans.

Nearly half (49%) of voters do not want Newsom to be recalled, versus 36% who support his recall, and 52% approve of his job as governor.

The poll is an encouraging sign for Newsom: the Times notes his approval rating has increased since January—but remains below his 64% approval rating in September—and the percentage opposed to his recall is up from 45% in January.

Jenner had the lowest support among the Republican candidates polled, as compared with 22% for former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and businessman John Cox and 14% for former state Rep. Doug Ose.

Of those polled, 15% are still undecided about who they’ll support in the election, and the Times notes that voter enthusiasm is far higher among Republicans than Democrats and Independents.

The recall election will ask voters both if they want Newsom to be recalled and who his replacement should be if so, and the Times notes many Democratic respondents want there to be a Democratic candidate besides Newsom to help ensure someone from the party could still serve as governor if Newsom is recalled.

Crucial Quote

“Newsom benefits from the improving situation with the pandemic, but there are still some warning signs — the low interest of Democratic voters and the substantial number of undecided voters,” Eric Schickler, co-director of the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies told the Times. “But the governor is now in better shape and is helped by the absence of a compelling GOP alternative.”

Tangent

The last Republican celebrity to find success in a California recall election was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became the state’s governor in 2003 with 48.5% of the vote after Gov. Gray Davis was recalled. Unlike Jenner, Schwarzenegger had higher support in early polling, the Times notes, with 31% saying they would support him in a poll conducted three months before the election.

Key Background

The Republican effort to oust Newsom gained traction amid the governor’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic—and his November dinner party at French Laundry that went against Covid-19 guidelines—and GOP activists garnered enough signatures to trigger an election in late April. No date has been set yet for the recall election, which is expected to take place sometime later this year. Jenner waded into the gubernatorial race in April as a self-described “thoughtful disruptor” with a platform that takes a hardline stance on immigration, and has drawn criticism for her comments condemning the state’s homeless population. Her right-wing policies have found favor on Fox News, where Jenner was interviewed by Sean Hannity on May 5, formally kicking off her campaign on the final day the Times/Berkeley poll was conducted. The 71-year-old transgender woman, who won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics for competing in the decathlon, has also sparked outrage among progressives and the LGBTQ community for siding with the GOP and coming out in favor of banning transgender student athletes from sports teams.