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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Warren, Biden, Sanders Swimming at the Top of Fluid California Poll

With a little more than a year until the 2020 general election, California Democratic voters are still playing the field regarding their candidate of choice according to the results of a wide-ranging poll released Wednesday.

(CN) – With a little more than a year until the 2020 general election, California Democratic voters are still playing the field regarding their candidate of choice according to the results of a wide-ranging poll released Wednesday.

Allegiances may be drawn in the Golden State, but they’re not written in permanent ink according to the Public Policy Institute of California which found more than half of Democratic-leaning voters (53%) are open to switching their candidates. Voters say performance in primary debates are very (41%) or somewhat (43%) important, per the study.

Leading the pack for Golden State Democratic voters were Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (23%), former Vice President Joe Biden (22%) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (21%). Senator Kamala Harris of California nabbed just 8% support in her home state.

The broad poll delved into California’s approval of President Donald Trump, which includes 30% approval among adults and 35% among likely voters, with support centered in the state’s Central Valley (36%) and the former Republican-majority stronghold of Orange County (34%).

Trump is less popular than US Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Harris, who received 40% approval among adults. But he is more popular than Congress, which has 33% approval among adults and 24% among likely voters, despite the announcement of formal impeachment inquiries into Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.

In a statement, PPIC President Mark Baldassare said, “Californians give Congress lower approval ratings than their two senators and their House representative, while the president’s approval rating is remarkably stable as he faces a new controversy.”

California voters across the board are concerned about homelessness, followed by the economy, housing costs, and immigration. Just 8% of adults and 10% likely voters cite the environment as a concern.

The concerns differ by region, too: One in five residents in LA said homelessness is an important issue, while the same number of San Franciscans said housing concerns them. Other regions were concerned about jobs and the economy.

Most of those polled support immigrants (71%) in California and see them as a benefit to the state, though support diminishes among older adults. About 30% worry a lot about someone they know being deported, with that worry most pronounced in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

When it comes to stricter gun laws, 68% said they were in favor. Nearly 4 in 10 Californians said they were very concerned about the threat of a mass shooting, up from 28% in January 2016.

Meanwhile, 66% adults and 73% likely voters do not want the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade, which gave women the constitutional right to have an abortion. Support was strong among Democrats (85%) and independents (69%), and even a slight majority for Republicans (51%) want Roe left untouched.

Not to be outdone, California disasters like wildfires, floods and earthquakes loom on the periphery of those polled, with 54% saying they were somewhat knowledgeable about preparing for a disaster.

Categories / Government, Politics

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