Fox News Flash top headlines for February 2
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval rating has tanked as voters remain frustrated by his coronavirus response, threatening his chances of surviving a potential recall vote.
A new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey of over 10,000 registered voters in California found that 46 percent approved of Newsom’s job performance – a sharp decline from the 64 percent approval rating he held last September.
Newsom's handling of the coronavirus appears to be at the core of his approval troubles, with fewer than a third of respondents saying the governor has done an "excellent" job tackling the pandemic, down from the 49 percent approval he had from pollsters last year.
But despite the increasing attention surrounding the push to recall Newsom from office, only 36 percent of California voters said they support the effort -- the overwhelming majority of which identified as Republicans.
California Republicans say they have so far collected 1.3 million signatures, just shy of the 1.5 million needed by mid-March to prompt a mid-year election. Though Republicans odds' of finding enough signatures to trigger the recall vote are increasing, they would stilll face an uphill battle in a statewide election.
The survey found that if a recall election is held, 45 percent of respondents plan to support the governor, while 36 percent would vote against him. Another 19 percent said they are undecided.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Political frontrunners are already lining up to challenge the Democratic governor.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced that he will launch his campaign if the initative garners enough signatures by mid-March.
Democratic and Republican voters sharply disagree on the governor’s decision to enforce new rounds of stay at home orders, after the coronavirus spiked again in the Golden State late last year.
Just over 70 percent of Democrats said they had a "great deal" of trust in the governor’s decision to enforce tighter restrictions in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, while 88 percent of Republicans said they had almost no trust in Newsom’s decision.
CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, FACING GOP-LED RECALL, CRITICIZED BY DEMOCRATS OVER COVID-19 RESPONSE
The number of daily coronavirus cases in California has fallen in recent weeks.
Mid December saw over 53,700 new cases were reported on Dec. 15, according to data collected by the state. Just 12,000 new cases were reported Tuesday.
More from Politics
