A new Politico–UC Berkeley poll is exposing a growing rift between California voters and the Democrat elites running the state. While lawmakers remain obsessed with opposing President Trump at every turn, everyday voters are losing faith—and fast.

The poll, conducted between April 1 and April 14, surveyed over 1,000 registered voters and nearly 720 “policy influencers.” The results show two very different worlds: one where Democrat operatives remain committed to pushing sanctuary policies, zero-emission mandates, and open borders—and another where ordinary Californians are demanding real answers to skyrocketing costs, rising crime, and the collapse of basic services.

Only 47 percent of Democrat voters want stronger opposition to Trump. Meanwhile, 43 percent of all registered voters said their leaders are already “too confrontational.” That includes a large share of Republicans and Independents who believe California’s leadership has abandoned real problems to wage political war.

UC Berkeley professor Jack Citrin said the data shows a polarized electorate, where elites are increasingly out of touch. “The influentials are a much more homogenous group than the registered voter public,” he said.

Take immigration, for example. While 60 percent of voters support the state’s “sanctuary” policies, an overwhelming 80 percent of policy influencers back them. Similarly, emissions mandates like the 2035 ban on gas-powered car sales split voters nearly evenly—45 percent support, 40 percent oppose—but policy influencers back the plan 82 to 14 percent.

The divide is clearest on the issue of focus. California voters are no longer buying the narrative that every policy must be filtered through anti-Trump resistance. Even the state’s own GOP mocked the trend, tweeting: “The streets aren’t safe. The cost of living is out of control. And California Democrats? Still focused on President Trump.”

It’s not just Trump fatigue—it’s survival instinct. Voters are overwhelmed by the daily costs of living in California. Housing and homelessness ranked as top concerns in the poll, far outpacing priorities like infrastructure or education. A stunning 43 percent of voters said they have little or no confidence that state leaders can fix anything at all.

Even on tech issues, long seen as California’s strong suit, the cracks are showing. Artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as a threat by 50 percent of voters, and even 58 percent of influencers agree. Many worry about job loss and automation wiping out traditional careers, though policy elites—many of whom are insulated by secure jobs—are less concerned.

Citrin explained that disconnect: “I don’t think that any influencer is going to lose their job because of AI.”

The message is clear. Democrats in California may still dominate the headlines, but they’re rapidly losing the confidence of the people they claim to represent. Voters are tired of performative resistance politics and want real solutions to real problems.

And with the 2026 midterms looming, that discontent could soon become a political reckoning. The resistance era is fading—and so is the illusion that California voters are blindly marching in step with their leftist leaders.