This is available to all of our subscribers and guests. But below the paywall at the bottom of this post, for paid subscribers, is the actualy powerpoint deck George used in this presentation, which also includes a bunch of charts he did not use!
A Great Live Event!
This was a big one — and my first Live broadcast with a guest.
George Nassar, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, joined me to break down the latest PPIC polling. Not just the headlines — but the trend lines and what the numbers actually mean for California and 2026.
During the presentation, George walked us through a series of detailed charts tracking voter sentiment over time — right direction vs. wrong track, Newsom’s approval among independents, tax preferences, economic outlook, immigration attitudes, and voter registration shifts. Seeing the data visually — and watching him interpret it in real time — made the analysis far more powerful than a simple topline recap.
We discussed:
• Why a majority of Californians now say the state is on the wrong track
• What’s really happening with Newsom’s numbers beneath the surface
• The midterm enthusiasm gap
• Affordability, taxes, and why “lower taxes, fewer services” is winning statewide
• Immigration movement — even in California
• Registration gains in the Central Valley and what they signal long term
You can watch the full video above to see the charts and hear the full discussion.
Here is the timeline in case you want to go to specific points of interest.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and welcome
02:10 George Nassar joins the conversation
04:30 California “right direction vs wrong track” trends
09:15 Newsom approval numbers and independent voters
14:20 Economic outlook and affordability concerns
19:40 Taxes, services, and voter priorities
25:10 Immigration opinion movement
31:30 Voter registration shifts in the Central Valley
36:45 What the data means for the 2026 political environment
41:00 Closing thoughts
You can also listen to the audio below. And if you prefer to listen on the go, search for So, Does It Matter? The Podcast in your favorite podcast app — Apple, Spotify, Amazon, wherever you listen. Or go to our podcast page here. The full episode is now available there as well. It’s also on YouTube.
If you care about where California politics is actually moving, press play.
And as always — like it, restack it, share it, and let me know what you think.
For our paid subscribers, below the paywall, is the PowerPoint Deck used by Nassar — it has a group of additional slides he did not refer to during the presentation!
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