Gavin Newsom Gets Major Polling Boost After Trolling Onslaught of Trump, WHILE POS trump APPROVAL IMPLODES
Published Aug 20, 2025 at 8:02 AM EDT
Updated Aug 20, 2025 at 9:48 AM EDT
newsweek.com
By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
 Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has received a significant bump in the polls after launching a barrage of sharp attacks on President Donald Trump on social media, according to new survey data.
Newsweek has contacted Governor Newsom's office and representatives of Harris for comment via email.
Why It MattersThe battle to become the 2028 presidential election candidate will likely set the new direction for the Democratic Party as it struggles with net favorability at what one recent poll showed to be a three-year low. Newsom has not formally announced his candidacy.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference on August 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. Marcio Jose Sanchez/APWhat To KnowT he latest POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey, conducted between July 31-August 11, shows that California Democrats would take Newsom over former Vice President Kamala Harris in a 2028 presidential primary.
According to the poll, the governor leads Harris 25 percent to 19 percent among the state's registered Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning independents.
Newsom's surge underscores how his combative stance against Trump is resonating with Democrats at home, giving him a potential edge over Harris in their shared political backyard.
California is not only the nation's most populous state, but also a key fundraising hub, and leading Harris on her home turf could reshape early narratives about the 2028 Democratic primary.
The poll found 75 percent of Democrats are "excited" about a Newsom bid, compared with 67 percent for Harris—a sign of softer support for the vice president in her own state. While both would be top contenders in the California primary, Harris' weaker numbers highlight the challenge she may face energizing the party's base.
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Behind them, Pete Buttigieg, transport secretary in the Joe Biden administration, placed third with 13 percent, followed by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 10 percent. Other potential contenders—including Governors Tim Walz of Minnesota, Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro, and Gretchen Whitmer, from Michigan, as well as New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Representative Ro Khanna, from California—registered in the single digits.
It comes amid Newsom's online trolling campaign against Trump. In recent weeks, the governor's press office has transformed its social media presence into a barrage of all-caps taunts, pop culture spoofs, and AI-generated memes—mocking the president's style even as it pushes back on Republican policies.
"DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES," read an August 11 X post from @GovPressOffice after Trump called for Texas to send "five more Republicans" to Congress, which prompted Newsom to hit back with his own plan to send more Democrats from California to Congress.
"BUT IF THE OTHER STATES CALL OFF THEIR REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, WE WILL DO THE SAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" the August 11 post said.
Since then, the account has ramped up its trolling efforts against the president and his allies amid Trump's call for redistricting in Texas.
In Texas, Republicans have launched a mid-cycle redistricting push designed to add as many as five new GOP-friendly districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. Backed by Trump, Governor Greg Abbott convened a special legislative session in July to draft the new maps. Democrats in the state legislature staged a walkout to delay the process, but Republicans eventually enforced attendance to move the plan forward.
Meanwhile, California Democrats, led by Newsom, have mounted their own dramatic counteroffensive. In August, the governor introduced the "Election Rigging Response Act," which seeks to bypass the state's independent redistricting commission through a voter referendum.
If passed in a November 2025 special election, the plan would implement Democratic-crafted maps designed to flip up to five Republican-held seats. The maps would remain in effect until 2030, but only if other states proceed with partisan redistricting.
Newsom has also taken that fight online. "NOT EVEN JD "JUST DANCE" VANCE CAN SAVE TRUMP FROM THE DISASTROUS MAPS "WAR" HE HAS STARTED. NOT EVEN HIS EYELINER LINES LOOK AS PRETTY AS CALIFORNIA "MAP" LINES. HE WILL FAIL, AS HE ALWAYS DOES (SAD!) AND I, THE PEACETIME GOVERNOR — OUR NATION'S FAVORITE — WILL SAVE AMERICA ONCE AGAIN. MANY ARE NOW CALLING ME GAVIN CHRISTOPHER "COLUMBUS" NEWSOM (BECAUSE OF THE MAPS!). THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER," his press office said in a post on X.
In contrast, Harris has largely avoided the spotlight since her unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign. She recently passed up the opportunity to run for California governor, saying she doesn't "want to go back in the system" for now. That is despite the fact that polls showed that her candidacy in the California gubernatorial race would have a field-clearing effect.
Polls for the 2028 presidential race have also shown some positive signs for Harris.
A June poll conducted by McLaughlin and Associates showed that the former VP holds a comfortable lead over the rest of the field, with 30 percent support among voters, while Newsom sits at just 8 percent.
An Echelon Insights poll from this month put Newsom in second place among potential Democratic candidates with 13 percent support, behind Harris with 26 percent.
What People Are SayingJack Citrin, a political science professor at UC Berkeley and partner on the poll, told Politico: "There's affection for her (Kamala Harris), but maybe less confidence that she would be a strong candidate. (Newsom is) in the news every day. If you think someone is running, you're more likely to support them."
What Happens NextIf lawmakers finish the plan by August 22, California voters will decide on November 4 whether to approve maps that would apply in 2026, 2028 and 2030—contingent on Republican-led states redrawing their lines first. Since 2010, California's maps have been drawn by an independent citizen commission. |
