America's two most popular governors are Charlie
Baker of Massachusetts and Maryland's Larry Hogan, a pair of moderate
Republican businessman with reputations for working across party lines
running traditionally blue states.
In a new poll
released Tuesday by Morning Consult, Baker has an approval rating of 75
percent among his constituents, and Hogan's job performance is viewed
positively by 73 percent of registered voters in his state.
Baker saw his approval increase 5 points over last year,
when he was the third-most popular governor in the country, while
Hogan's approval increased three points, and they boast low disapproval
marks of just 17 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Both Baker and
Hogan were elected in 2014.
"Both governors have reputations as shrewd,
bipartisan dealmakers who value results over party purity, and their
constituents seem to appreciate that style," Morning Consult noted.
They are followed by the newly elected governors
of North Dakota (Doug Burgum, with 69 percent approval) and Vermont
(Phil Scott, 68 percent), each with just 16 percent disapproval.
Rounding out the top five is last year's most
popular governor, South Dakota Republican Dennis Daugaard, who saw his
approval fall 6 points from 74 percent to 68 percent while his
disapproval rating rose from 15 percent to 25 percent.
While Republicans occupy the top 12 spots on the list, eight of the 10 most unpopular governors are also Republicans.
[READ:
Alabama Governor Resigns and Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanors]
With 71 percent of his constituents giving him negative marks, embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
overtakes Kansas' Sam Brownback as the least popular governor in the
country. Just 25 percent of New Jerseyans approve of his performance.
Christie "continues to be dogged by the 'Bridgegate' scandal,"
Morning Consult explains, adding that his "numbers took a turn for the
worse in the months following that endorsement [of Donald Trump for
president], and they've continued to trend in the wrong direction."
Brownback, meanwhile, remains deeply disliked by
his constituents, with a disapproval rating of 66 percent. But while
only 27 of Kansans say they approve of his performance, that's an
improvement: In 2016, just 23 percent approved of Brownback's job as
governor.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy remains the only
Democrat in the country with a negative approval rating. As the
third-least popular governor, just 29 percent of Nutmeg Staters approve
of Malloy's performance, while 66 percent disapprove.
Meanwhile, eight of the nation's 34 Republican
governors are below water: Paul LePage of Maine (-1), Scott Walker of
Wisconsin (-5), Susana Martinez of New Mexico (-5), Bruce Rauner of
Illinois (-7), Mary Fallin of Oklahoma (-11), Rick Snyder of Michigan
(-14), Brownback (-39) and Christie (-46).
Alaska's Bill Walker, a former Republican who
ran as an independent in 2014, also has a negative rating, with just 43
percent of his constituents approving of his performance while 53
percent disapprove, making him the eighth least-popular governor in the
country.
Rounding out the bottom 10 at No. 9 is Alabama's Robert Bentley (-4), who resigned Monday night and pleaded guilty of misdemeanor campaign finance charges.
Neither his replacement, newly sworn-in Gov. Kay Ivey, or South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who took office after President Donald Trump tapped Nikki Haley for ambassador to the United Nations, were included in the rankings.
No comments:
Post a Comment