Democratic Support for California’s 2035 Gas Car Ban Slips, Poll Finds

July 18, 2026

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Alex Nieves (Politico Pro Climatewire) The new Public Policy Institute of California survey comes amid questions about electric vehicle affordability in the absence of federal rebates. -- A growing number of Democrats oppose California’s plan to ban sales of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.

What happened: Two-thirds of the registered voters surveyed in the nonpartisan think tank’s July poll on environmental policy said they oppose Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020 executive order that aims to phase out new gas and diesel vehicle sales over the next decade.

While that figure largely tracks with previous PPIC polling on the issue, the most notable shift in opinion emerged among liberals.

Half of the 611 Democrats surveyed said they oppose the ban, while 49 percent indicated they support it. PPIC’s July 2025 poll found that 55 percent of registered Democrats supported the gas-car ban, while 44 percent opposed the policy goal.

Why it matters: The 12-point swing comes as California leaders attempt to chart a path forward for electric vehicle adoption amid unrelenting attacks from the Trump administration. READ MORE

Related articles

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment (Public Policy Institute of California)
CA voters still care about the environment, but affordability concerns are rising, poll says (Sacramento Bee)
Californians hate Gavin Newsom’s gas vehicle ban, poll shows (New York Post/Yahoo! News; includes VIDEO)

Excerpt from Public Policy Institute of California: This year marks the twin anniversaries of landmark legislation that has shaped the state’s environmental policies: the California Coastal Act of 1976 and the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Today, California’s longstanding commitments to protecting its coastal waters and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are sharply at odds with federal policy shifts that now call for more oil drilling off the coast and reversing course on renewable energy programs. Today, the state government is also seeking to address the public’s concerns about the affordability and equity of its environmental policies.

These are the key findings of the Californians and the Environment survey on topics including the November election and approval ratings; the environment, economy, and technology; climate change and energy; and oceans, coast, and marine life that was conducted June 29–July 6, 2026:

...

Californians are most likely to name wildfires as the top environmental issue facing the state today, followed by climate change, government overregulation, and water supply. About six in ten think that the state and local governments are not doing enough to address wildfires. A majority believe that stricter environmental laws and regulations in California are worth the cost, while partisans are deeply divided. Two in three adults oppose the governor’s executive order banning the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, while one in three say that they have seriously considered an electric vehicle the next time they buy or lease a vehicle. Majorities oppose construction of data centers in their area and worry about the environmental impact of building more AI data centers.
Seventy-five percent of Californians think that the Global Solutions Act of 2006 that required California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions has been mostly a good thing for California. Majorities of adults believe that the effects of climate change have already begun, and that they pose a serious threat to the economy and quality of life of California’s future. Fifty percent say that they are very concerned that home insurance will become more expensive due to climate change risks. About two in three favor the state government making its own policies separate from the federal government on climate change. Six in ten favor requiring that all electricity come from renewable energy by 2045, while six in ten are not willing to pay more for renewable energy.
...
Majorities of adults (55%) and likely voters (57%) believe that stricter environmental regulations in California are worth the cost, while 43 percent of both adults and likely voters say these regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. Majorities across regions and most demographic groups support stricter environmental regulations despite their economic costs, although opinions differ sharply by party. About three in four Republicans say environmental regulations hurt the economy, while eight in ten Democrats say they are worth the cost and independents are split.
...
Californians have somewhat mixed views about electric vehicles. Forty-five percent say they have either seriously considered purchasing (33%) or already own (12%) an electric vehicle, while 54 percent say they have not considered purchasing one. The share who say they have not considered purchasing an electric vehicle has increased since July 2023, when 41 percent reported that they had not considered doing so. Views vary across regions and demographic groups, with Republicans (70%), those with a high school diploma or less (68%), and Latinos (61%) among the most likely to have not considered purchasing an electric vehicle. Residents earning more than $100,000 annually are far more likely than those earning less to have either purchased or seriously considered purchasing an electric vehicle.

Only one in five Californians are extremely (5%) or very (15%) confident that the state will build sufficient infrastructure to support large numbers of electric vehicles on the roads; about a third (32%) are somewhat confident and nearly half are not too (24%) or not at all (22%) confident. Confidence is relatively low across parties, regions, and demographic groups.

Nearly two in three adults (66%) and likely voters (65%) oppose Governor Newsom’s executive order banning the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. This share of adults has increased 17 points since July 2021, when 49 percent of Californians opposed the executive order. Today, most Republicans (91%) and independents (69%) are opposed, while Democrats are split. About six in ten or more across regions and demographic groups oppose this executive order. READ MORE

Excerpt from New York Post/Yahoo! News:

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently doubled down on his mission to make California a haven where only new electric vehicles are sold, but most Californians — including fellow Democrats — are saying hell no, according to a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The survey, conducted June 29 to July 6, revealed that nearly 66% of adults and likely voters oppose Newsom's executive order signed in 2020 that bans the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.

The governor created such a ban as part of a mission to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

...

But since the order was issued, Californians have trended in the opposite direction. Compared to 2021, the share of Californians across all political stripes — even Democrats who tend to support climate-friendly policies — who say they oppose Newsom's ban has increased.

...

Mark Baldassare, the institute's survey director, told the Post the trend's underlying cause is the increasing unaffordability of the state.

He pointed to the declining share of people who when surveyed said they're seriously considering buying an electric vehicle — now about a third compared to a half five years ago.

"If they're not going to do it, and it's something they're going to be asked to be doing over the next few years, then I think that's why people are at odds with the governor's executive order," he said.

Part of the reason EVs have lost appeal is because federal tax credits which boosted financial incentives have expired, Baldassare said. But just as important is the fact that electricity prices in California have spiked.

"We've got 6 in 10 people who are saying that they feel that utility prices in their part of California are a major problem," he told The Post. "That number has gone up, and the reality is that if you have an electric vehicle, the electricity is not free."

...

Those higher utility rates are also partly driven by the same green agenda from California Democrats who want the state grid to go carbon-free by 2045, which requires infrastructure upgrades and more costs passed onto ratepayers.

Wayne Winegarden, an economics fellow at free-market think tank Pacific Research Institute, said the survey revealed a fundamental sentiment about affordability.

...

The declining EV appeal is in spite of the fact that California is facing sky-high gas prices. But at least gas pricing seems more transparent to consumers than how utilities price their bills, said Baldassare.

The fact that Californians of all political affiliations oppose the ban should send a message to policymakers — at least for now — to make adjustments or even course-correct on the issue, he added.

...

Still, Newsom has not given up on the electric vehicle mandate. He touted recently new legislation he signed that would create a $270 million rebate. The initiative will provide California residents with a $3,500 rebate on qualifying new electric vehicles with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $50,000 or less.

The legislation also includes a $1,750 rebate for qualifying used electric vehicles priced at $25,000 or below. It's an attempt to replace the expiring federal incentives under Republican President Donald Trump.

"California is filling the void left by Trump and the GOP repealing the federal electric vehicle tax credit," Newsom wrote on X. "We won't forfeit the future to China."

According to the California Energy Commission, there are over 1.25 million electric vehicles registered in the Golden State, with EVs representing about one in five new vehicle sales in the state last year. READ MORE; includes VIDEO