HARTFORD – Earlier in the year, after New Jersey’s Chris Christie left that state’s governorship, Gov. Dannel Malloy had the dubious honor of being named the country’s most unpopular governor. That was according to Morning Consult, which reports on surveys and analysis of polling data.
Well, there’s good news and bad news for the governor. First, the good news: Morning Consult says he’s no longer the least popular governor in the country. That honor now belongs to Governor Mary Fallin (R) of Oklahoma. The bad news? Malloy’s approval rating actually dipped two percentage points.
Fallin saw her net approval decline 17 points amid a high-profile state-wide teachers’ strike that lasted nine days. In the second quarter, 19 percent of registered voters in Oklahoma backed her job performance and 74 percent disapproved.
That did was enough to lift the Democrat and former Stamford mayor up from 50th place to 49th, with 21% approval – down from 23%.
The stats aren’t likely to bother Malloy, who is not running for re-election. When asked about his bottom-ranking back in February, a spokesman said “Serving as Governor is not about pomp and popularity. It’s about hard work and making the tough choices-day in and day out. The Governor will continue to make those difficult decisions, because it’s the right thing to do for the people of the great State of Connecticut.”
