Poll: Raimondo approval rating improves from September, still 13th lowest in country

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has a 48 percent approval rating, while 45 percent disapprove of the job she is doing, according to the latest poll released this week by Morning Consult, a media and technology company.

Even with the boost in her approval rating – the Democrat was at 38 percent in September – Raimondo is the 13^th most unpopular governor in the country.

The most unpopular governor is New Jersey’s Chris Christie, a Republican, with a 71 percent disapproval rating, while Connecticut’s Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, is the third most unpopular. Sixty-six percent disapprove of the job he is doing.

Massachusetts’ Charles Baker is the most popular governor in the country with a 75 percent approval rating. Only 17 percent disapprove of the job Baker is doing. The second-most popular governor is Larry Hogan of Maryland, with a 73 percent approval rate.

“The two most popular governors are Republicans in traditionally blue states: Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Larry Hogan of Maryland. Both governors have reputations as shrewd, bipartisan dealmakers who value results over party purity, and their constituents seem to appreciate that style,” Morning Consult said.

The 12^th most popular U.S. senator in the country is Rhode Island’s Jack F. Reed, with a 63 percent approval rating, unchanged from September. Topping this list was former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders of Vermont, with a 75 percent approval rating. While Sanders ran to be the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, he remains the longest-serving political independent in U.S. history.

Reed is a Democrat, as is Sheldon Whitehouse, who was 22^nd on the list with a 59 percent approval rating,  an improvement from September’s 52 percent.

The least popular senator in the country again is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Forty-four percent of Kentucky voters say they approve of the 30-year Senate veteran, while 47 percent disapprove, “making him the only senator with a net negative approval rating,” Morning Consult said.

In Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren received a 56 percent approval rating, a slip from September’s 57 percent, while Edward Markey’s rating was 55 percent, an improvement from September’s 52 percent. Both are Democrats.

The polling took place from January through March, and more than 85,000 registered voters across the country took part. A total of 473 Rhode Island voters were surveyed, with a margin of error of 4.5%.

Lori Stabile is PBN web editor.