California’s golden boy may be losing his shine. A new Noble Predictive Insights poll reveals that Gov. Gavin Newsom — long assumed to be the Democrats’ heir apparent for 2028 — is trailing behind Vice President Kamala Harris among likely Democratic voters.
The poll shows Harris holding 33% support among Democrats and 27% among independents, while Newsom lags far behind with a meager 13% and 3%, respectively. For a man often touted as the “future of the Democratic Party,” these numbers are a political gut punch.
Just a few months ago, an August survey had shown Newsom leading Harris 25% to 19% — but since then, his public antics and self-inflicted blunders appear to have cratered his support. The once-slick California governor, who tried to brand himself as a progressive alternative to President Trump, is now struggling to keep even Democrats on his side.
Part of the collapse stems from Newsom’s unhinged online behavior. The California governor has spent more time on social media attacking conservatives than fixing his state’s spiraling homelessness crisis, high taxes, and collapsing energy grid. In one particularly tone-deaf moment, Newsom labeled Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is Jewish, a “fascist” and “SS” in a deranged post following the tragic death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The remark was so tasteless that even some on the left called it out, further alienating potential supporters.
That sort of reckless rhetoric may play well among the radical fringe of the Democratic base — but it’s alienating the middle. And as the new poll shows, independents have all but abandoned him.
Meanwhile, the governor has become a punching bag on social media, not just for conservatives but even for federal agencies. When Newsom tried to grandstand online about “authoritarianism” and “assaults on democracy,” the Department of Homeland Security’s official X account fired back with a devastating joke:
> “Breaking: Gavin Newsom has shown up to the riot!”
The triggered governor snapped back with, “You’re an embarrassment,” but by then, the damage was done — the internet had already decided who the real embarrassment was.
President Donald Trump, never one to miss an opportunity to roast a political foe, piled on after the poll results dropped. On Truth Social, Trump posted:
> “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!! President DJT.”
The former president has repeatedly used Newsom as Exhibit A for Democratic failure, mocking California’s rising crime, mass exodus of taxpayers, and decaying cities. “If Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I’ll send in the troops and clean up the crime,” Trump wrote in another post.
Even among Democrats, there’s growing unease. Harris, despite her many gaffes and failures, is now outpacing Newsom — a stunning fall for the man once hailed as “the next Obama.”
If the trend continues, Gavin Newsom’s 2028 ambitions may die the same way California’s middle class did — buried under the weight of his own failed leadership and the arrogance of one too many tweets.
