California’s feeling the blues. According to a new Manhattan Institute poll, only 32 percent of California voters believe that the state is headed in a better direction than other states, and 45 percent believe it’s heading for worse. Here are some of the specific issues getting voters down:
A majority of voters (56%) say California is less business-friendly than other states, compared with just 14% who say it is more business-friendly. . . . More voters say California is less safe than other states (37%) than safer (23%), with 36% saying it is as safe as other states. 81% say California has a bigger homelessness problem than other states. More voters describe the state’s infrastructure as worse than that of other states (43%) than better (16%). A 42% plurality believe that California has a larger corruption problem than its peers. . . . More than seven in ten voters (71%) say they are concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse in California’s welfare system.
Combine that with a net loss of about 230,000 residents who fled California for other states from 2024 to 2025, and the progressive governance status quo doesn’t seem to be making people happy – except for Democrats. Fifty-two percent of California Dems say the state is heading in a better direction than other states, with only 17 percent saying it’s trending worse. Republicans say the state is worsening by an 85-point margin (3 percent better to 88 percent worse) and independents by a 23-point margin (26 percent to 49 percent). Unless Democrats know something everyone else doesn’t, the progressive overrule from California city councils to statewide office seems to have led to feelings of malaise across the state.
More like feeling the blue.