Biden and Harris Approval Ratings Drop Among Core California Constituencies

About three in ten California Democrats disapprove of the job Biden is doing and about four in ten disapprove of the job Harris is doing.

California is in the throes of an identity crisis that is pitting far-left big-government elites against an increasingly disgruntled group of independents, young voters and minorities. Two weeks after San Francisco parents reached a boiling point and unseated three far-left school board members, a new statewide poll shows most California voters disapprove of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The poll, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, finds 48% of Californians disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president, while 47% approve. This represents a significant decline in Biden’s approval rating in a state he won with 63.5% of the vote in 2020. Six months ago, the same poll found 59% of Californians approved of Biden, compared to just 37% who disapproved.

Vice President Kamala Harris receives even lower ratings in her home state, with just 38% of Californians approving of the job she is doing as Vice President compared to 46% who disapprove.

The pollsters note that while both Biden and Harris enjoy higher approval ratings from Democrats, about three in ten California Democrats disapprove of the job Biden is doing and about four in ten disapprove of the job Harris is doing.

According to the researchers, Biden and Harris’ approval ratings are lower outside of San Francisco and Los Angeles regions, and particularly low among men, young people, and White, Hispanic and Asian Americans. Both Biden and Harris poll better in San Francisco and Los Angeles and with women and Black voters, but there have still been declines among both groups.

Biden sits at a disapproval rating of 48% statewide, compared to 47% who approve. Biden’s approval rating with Independents is well under half, with just 40% of California Independents approving of the job he is doing compared to 52% who disapprove.

Biden’s approval rating with Independents is well under half, with just 40% of California Independents approving of the job he is doing compared to 52% who disapprove.

Out of eight California regions, Biden’s approval rating is positive in just three – Los Angeles County, The San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast. His approval rating is negative in the five other regions and is lowest in Orange County and the Central Valley at just 39% in both.

California’s young voters are particularly critical of both Biden and Harris, with just 34% of 18 to 29-year-olds approving of Biden compared to 53% who disapprove, and just 30% approving of Harris, compared to 46% who disapprove. In fact, Biden’s approval rating is net negative in California among voters under age 50.

Biden’s approval rating is net negative in California among voters under age 50.

Biden’s approval rating is also under water with Whites, with just 46% of California Whites approving of the job he is doing as president compared to 52% who disapprove.

While a larger share of Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians approve of Biden than disapprove, his approval rating is still under 50% among Asians and Hispanics. Forty-nine percent of Hispanics and Asians approve of Biden, while 44% and 43% disapprove of him, respectively. While over half of Blacks (54%) approve of Biden, almost four in ten (39%) disapprove of him.

While a larger share of Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians approve of Biden than disapprove, his approval rating is still under 50% among Asians and Hispanics.

The fact that President Biden is floundering in one of the most liberal states in the nation and one in which he won almost two-thirds of the vote should be sounding alarm bells for Democrats. Biden is rapidly losing ground with Independents, young voters, and voters outside of the state’s liberal hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles counties.

Biden is also struggling with Latino and Asian voters in California. As Market Research Foundation noted last November, Democrats’ increasingly radical education policies are driving away many Asian and Hispanics voters. We found high-minority precincts in Fairfax County, Virginia, saw some of the greatest shifts toward GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin. Hindu voters in Loudoun County also shifted toward the GOP in 2021, driven largely by education issues. We are beginning to see a similar shift in California, with Democrat approval ratings falling among minorities, and education issues causing a rift between the radical left and more moderate voters.