A new survey shows Governor Newsom’s popularity on the rise, and he’s way ahead in his bid for a second term. However, he’s also feeling some more heat for his veto of a bill that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to set up supervised drug injection sites.

The latest UC Berkeley-IGS poll, which is the heir to the old Field Poll we knew so well, shows Governor Newsom leading his Republican challenger, State Senator Brian Dahle, 52 to 25%. That’s a 27-point lead, which shrinks to 24 points among those most likely to vote. Voters also approve of the governor’s performance a lot more than they did just six months ago. 

In February, voters were split on their governor, just 48% approved of him and 47% didn’t. Now? He’s up to 53% approval, with his disapproval dropping to 42, so that’s a ten-point swing in the governor’s favor. 

The bottom line? Gavin Newsom is in good shape to coast to an easy re-election victory a little more than two months from now. 

For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with Doug Sovern, KCBS political reporter and host of this segment.