Biden And Harris Aren't Golden In This Major Blue State, Where Voters Prefer DeSantis Over Trump: Poll

President Joe Biden’s popularity is rebounding in the golden state, but Democrats don’t want him to run again. Meanwhile, Republicans are showing a preference for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and backing away from former President Donald Trump, according to a new Berkeley IGS Poll released Friday.

Kamala Harris’s home state, which has more than 18 million registered voters, also isn’t interested in seeing the Vice-President run for the job of Chief-of-State, in the event Biden chooses not to run for re-election.

What Happened

Among all registered voters in California, 57% approve of Biden’s performance compared to 47% from a year ago, buoyed mostly by independents who make up 22.7% of the state’s voting population. The number is down from 59% in the summer of 2021, according to the poll.

Moreover, 57% of voters don’t want to see Biden run for a second term, down from 61% last summer. Although among Republicans, a massive 85% would prefer to see a new Democratic candidate.

DeSantis leads Trump by 8 points, with the support of 37% of GOP voters, compared to the 29% who support Trump. The numbers show a clear reversal from the 38% who supported the 45th president and the 27% who supported DeSantis as of last August. The first female governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who announced her candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election this month, garners just 7% support in California.

DeSantis’ support among Republicans matches Harris’ state-wide voter support for a potential presidential candidacy, with just 37% hoping she’ll run in the event Biden doesn’t. The number compares to 8% of Republicans and 32% of voters with no party affiliation hoping to see Harris make a bid for the leadership role.

Why It Matters

California, a widely blue state with nearly half of its voters registered as Democratic, leads the country in its support for Biden, but nationwide, support for Trump is high. A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll showed 46% of the respondents surveyed would vote for Trump, compared to 41% who would vote for Biden.

With inflation ticking lower, support for Biden may increase if the Federal Reserve can provide a soft landing and continue to raise rates without throwing the U.S. into a recession. Data released on Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the Fed is struggling to hamper stubborn inflation, however, with headline PCE rising 5.4% in January, compared to the 4.9%-economist estimate.

The news has some analysts predicting the central bank may continue to raise rates into the summer of 2023, which could see the economy teetering on a larger downturn, which could further steer voters toward a Republican nominee.

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