Voters dissatisfied about direction of California but still back Newsom, poll shows

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly a year after crushing a Republican-led recall attempt, Gov. Gavin Newsom leads his GOP challenger by more than 2 to 1 in the 2022 governor's race, even though a majority of voters express dissatisfaction about where California is headed, a new poll shows.

Newsom has the backing of 52% of registered voters, compared with 25% who favor Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle, a Northern California conservative who remains a political obscurity among most of the electorate, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Only 19% of voters said they were undecided, making it