How governors facing re-election stand with voters
Democrats in Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Mexico have the weakest job approval ratings of governors up in 2022
- Among the 28 governors up for re-election this fall, just one — Democrat Tony Evers of Wisconsin — is viewed more negatively than positively by voters in his state: 45% of Wisconsin voters approve of his job performance, compared to 48% who disapprove.
- Half of Georgia voters, including 76% of Republicans, approve of GOP Gov. Brian Kemp’s job performance, as he faces a primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue, who has former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
- Democratic governors who face contests viewed as toss-ups by The Cook Political Report are fairly popular: 55% approve of Laura Kelly in Kansas, 51% approve of Steve Sisolak in Nevada and 50% approve of Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, though 46% disapprove.
- In Colorado, 57% of voters approve and 35% disapprove of Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, largely in line with his standing throughout Joe Biden’s presidency.
- Democratic Gov. Dan McKee of Rhode Island has seen a substantial drop in his approval rating in recent months, from 60% in the third quarter of 2021 to 42% now. Over the same time period, the share who disapprove of his job performance increased from 25% to 40%, marking the biggest decline in sentiment about a governor facing voters this fall.
The big picture
Across the country, all but eight governors are backed by 50% or more of their state’s voters. And in nearly all cases, the Democrats among them are getting higher approval ratings than Biden, while more often than not drawing more cross-party support than the president and Democratic senators.
But when considering each state, the average GOP governor has a higher approval rating than the average Democratic governor (58% to 51%), boosted by the popularity of a handful of blue-state Republicans.
