Believe it or not, things could be worse for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy- he’s only the second least popular governor in the U.S., according to a Morning Consult poll.
The poll found that Malloy’s approval rating is 29 percent, making him one of two governors with a sub-30 percent approval rating. Only Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is more unpopular with a 26 percent approval rating.
Brownback’s push for large tax cuts in Kansas led to an ongoing budget crisis and deep state funding cuts, not unlike the situation Malloy faces in Connecticut. Sixty four percent of Connecticut residents disapprove of the governor, while seven percent don’t know or are undecided.
Malloy’s approval rating fell from a high of 43 percent in March 2015 to 32 percent in October. His approval rating has hovered in the low 30’s for the last several months, according to the Quinnipiac University poll.
On the other side of the spectrum, Republicans Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Larry Hogan of Maryland are the country’s two most popular governors with 72 and 71 percent approval ratings respectively. The most popular Democratic governor is Delaware’s Jack Markell with a 66 percent rating.
Michigan governor Rick Snyder saw a 13 point drop in his approval rating from January to May, the largest change in sentiment this year, as his administration scrambled to address the Flint water crisis.
Running for president caused a four point decrease in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s approval rating, while the other two Republican governors who ran, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Ohio’s John Kasich, saw little change in approval ratings. Walker’s approval rating is 43 percent and Kasich’s is 61 percent. Christie’s fell to 36 percent.
