In the wake of the Los Angeles fires and revelations that fire hydrants weren’t working and a key reservoir had been empty for a year, a new poll shows that Los Angeles voters are more open to Republican leadership than they have been in more than a generation – and that LA Mayor Karen Bass’ tenure is in jeopardy.
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The poll, conducted among likely voters in Los Angeles County between January 19 and 22, revealed that only 37 percent of respondents approve of Bass’ job performance related to wildfire response. Pollsters also asked respondents who they’d vote for, if the mayoral election were held today, in a hypothetical rematch between Bass and her 2022 opponent, businessman Rick Caruso, and only 36 percent said they’d vote for her again. It definitely looks like Bass won’t retain her job; while it’s true that voters have notoriously short memories, Bass is going to face at least one radical lefty in addition to two more moderate choices (rumors at this point are that LA City Councilwoman Traci Park and Caruso will also run), so Bass doesn’t really have a lane.
On May 2, 2024, Councilwoman Park rang the alarm about LAFD’s budget, and the need for more funding. If only she had more partners on the council, the fire department could have received all of the funding it needed. This is why every seat on council matters. Watch. pic.twitter.com/yuanPRVjCh
— Justin Gordon (@Justin_G0rd0n) January 25, 2025
Perhaps the most important finding, though, is that 43 percent of respondents said they would consider GOP leadership in the city/county in 2026. Now, that might not seem like a huge development, but given that Republican registration is only 18 percent Republican countywide, it’s a big shift. If (and that’s a big if given the timeframe) those people turn out to vote in the primary, and if (another big if) the LA County Republican Party* can field common-sense, well-spoken candidates, county voters might actually have a Republican choice on the general election ballot in November 2026 — which, honestly, might be the first hurdle to overcome. If there’s no Republican candidate on the general election ballot, it’s rather difficult for a Republican to win.
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Still, that 43 percent of respondents told a pollster that they’d consider GOP leadership, in a county where publicly admitting such can lead to major professional consequences, is significant. The polling memo notes that:
“Across LA County, most voters say fire hydrants running dry should be cause for political leaders to lose their jobs. Voters also blamed one-party rule for the lack of sufficient water storage.”
Ahh, so the shackles are starting to fall from their eyes. Dots are finally being connected. Hallelujah!
The poll was commissioned by ad agency Madison McQueen, whose president, Owen Brennan, said:
“Rather than follow predictable partisan patterns, voters in LA are fed up with failure and are demanding more competence from their elected officials. Clearly there is an opportunity for new leadership, new ideas, and new direction for Los Angeles.”
Brennan appeared on “The John Phillips Show” Friday to discuss the results, some of which weren’t shown on the public polling memo.
The entire polling memo and an overview of the methodology can be read below.
Caruso v Bass Polling Memo … by Jennifer Van Laar
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(*NOTE: Roxanne Hoge, wife of RedState editor Bob Hoge, was elected as chairwoman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County on Saturday, January 25, and her campaign was supported by RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar.)
