Californians approve of Brown, Obama and CA — country, not so much

A majority of Californians approve of the job Gov. Jerry Brown is doing and think the state is on the right track, according to several Field Polls released this week. 

But the same correlation doesn’t extend to the perception of President Barack Obama, who received high marks, and the direction of the country, which a 54-percent majority sees headed down the wrong path. 

Brown and Obama polled nearly the same — 56 and 57 percent approval, respectively — with Democrats largely in support of both executives and Republicans largely disapproving.

Brown hasn’t dipped below 50 percent in the Field Poll since October 2012, when the state was still dealing with a budget crisis. For his part, Obama has consistently polled higher than Brown over the years. 

Depends on who you ask

The partisan split tells a different tale. While Democrats support Brown with a 74 percent approval rating, only 33 percent of Republicans approve. The split widens for Obama, who drew an 80 percent approval rating from Democrats and only 18 percent from Republicans.

Californians love California

But while Californians are more supportive of Obama than Brown, they are much more optimistic about the direction of the state compared to the direction of the country.

Fifty-two percent of Californians think the Golden State is on the right path, while only 34 percent think the country is headed in the right direction. In fact, the perception of California’s path has been steadily increasing since the 13-percent low point in 2010.  

What are they doing in Washington?

Californians’ perception of the country’s path has been far more volatile, hitting 45 percent in 2009, 24 percent in 2011, 42 percent in 2012 and 35 percent in 2014. And a majority of Californians haven’t thought the country was on the right track since 2002. 

The partisan split in perception continues with the direction of the country. Democrats are much more optimistic in both instances, with 66 percent saying California is on the right path and 44 percent approving of the country’s direction.

Republicans, meanwhile, pan both the direction of the state and country — 29 percent approval and 14 percent approval, respectively.