Gov. Malloy’s public approval rating hits new low

WEST HAVEN – His 24 percent approval rating is one of the lowest ever recorded for a governor in the Quinnipiac University Poll, but the Connecticut Democratic Party is unwavering in their support for Gov. Dan Malloy .

In a statement, released Wednesday afternoon, the Democratic Party’s communications director, Leigh Appleby, said, "We never comment specifically on polls. They will go up and down. But the truth of the matter is that Governor Malloy has an exceptionally difficult job. During tough fiscal times, he has made the hard - often painful - choices necessary to create jobs and put Connecticut's economy on the right track, and we applaud the Governor for thinking long-term and doing the right thing for the future of our state."

However, not all Democrats in the state feel the same way.

“I think he's doing a terrible job,” said Jimmy Ballard, of West Haven, a registered Democrat. “I'm going to be honest with you. I voted for the guy, but, you know what? I got to look at the track record.”

Governor Malloy’s approval rating has dipped from 32 percent last fall to 24 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

“When we asked about the governor’s handling of various economic issues, he gets approval in the teens and you virtually never see that,” said Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. He added that the governor's ratings seem to be connected to the state's economy--80 percent of those surveyed say the state's economy is "not so good" or "poor," while 74 percent say jobs are difficult to find.

In addition to the low 24 percent approval rating, the governor received a 68 percent disapproval rating. A mere 3 percent said they were "very satisfied" with the job he's done.

However, some do still support the governor.

"I admire Governor Malloy because of his stand with immigration and immigrants trying to come to the country and I think it takes a lot of courage to do that,” said June Turpin of West Haven.

Meanwhile, the governor recently won the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award, a prestigious honor, in April for welcoming a Syrian family’s resettlement in New Haven.