Who Are The Most and Least Popular Governors In America

Knowinsiders April 09, 2023 | 12:43

Check out the list of the most popular and unpopular governors in the United States, according to a new poll from Morning Consult - Top 10 and the full list of 50 governors.

Republican Phil Scott of Vermont has been America’s most popular governor throughout 2021 - Pic: CNN

The Morning Consult reveals the list of collecting governors’ approval ratings for all 50 states in America.

The ranking is based on each state’s voters’ approval of their governor’s job performance.

Responses to the poll were gathered, among registered voters in each state, with margins of error of up to plus or minus 4 percent. The poll found that nine of the 10 most popular governors are Republicans.

Morning Consult is a technology platform which focuses on data collection. Founded in 2014, the platform was named one of the fastest technology companies in North America by Deloitte in 2019. Morning Consult explains their general methodology as "daily interviews with a representative sample of over 5,000 registered voters and 4,400 likely voters in the United States."

Who is The Most Popular Governor In America?

Vermont Governor Phil Scott, who run for Senate in 2022, is the most popular governor, according to a fresh poll.

In Vermont, 79 percent of registered voters approved of Scott’s job performance in the third quarter of 2021, making him the most popular governor in the country.

With ratings like that, the Republican governor could make a race for Senate in a deep blue state such as Vermont competitive.

However, Scott spokesman Jason Maulucci said the governor “has been clear that he will not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2022, and that has not changed” — even if Senate Republican strategists in Washington are still hoping for his candidacy.

Top 10 most popular Governors in America: 9 of the 10 most popular governors are Republicans

*The two most popular chief executives after Scott are Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts (72%) and Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland (70%). Coming in at No. 4 of most popular governors is Republican Chris Sununu of New Hampshire (67%.) The Granite State is competitive for Republicans, who control the legislature. But it is still a state that Biden won by 7.4 percentage points.

*The poll showed that Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is one of the nation’s most popular governors.

Ivey has the eighth-best job approval rating in the country and the best in the Southeast. She is also the most popular woman governor, according to the poll.

“I love Alabama and her people, and it is the highest honor of my life to serve as their governor,” Ivey said, "I assure the people of Alabama that as long as I am governor, your government will always reflect your values. We are experiencing one of the strongest economic comebacks in the country, with more jobs available now than ever before."

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*West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice thanked West Virginians for their continued support today after recent poll results ranked Gov. Justice as the #6 most popular governor in America. Under Gov. Justice’s leadership, West Virginia continues to enjoy an unprecedented era of success and prosperity.

Gov. Justice has led the state to a string of consistent budget surpluses by using his lifelong experience as a businessman to make West Virginia a more business-friendly state and by standing behind the energy industry. West Virginia broke the all-time state record for lowest ever unemployment rate and while also cracking the top-10 states in the nation for quarterly GDP growth.

Investments in the state’s tourism efforts have visitation and intrigue in West Virginia through the roof. West Virginia was recently named a top-10 travel region in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.

The Governor’s Roads to Prosperity program is the state’s largest-ever investment in road maintenance and improvement; after 50 years of neglecting its roads, the state has committed more than $2 billion dollars to fixing them. Gov. Justice recently held a grand opening ceremony for U.S. Route 35, turning what was once known as a “death highway” into another artery for businesses and visitation from the outside world.

Lamont is the most popular Democratic governor in the U.S

Who Are The Most & Least Popular Governors In The United States?

Governor Ned Lamont speaks at the University of Connecticut. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is the most popular Democrat governor.

In terms of overall placement, Lamont came in seventh, ahead of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. In the third quarter of 2021, 64% of Connecticut's registered voters approved of Lamont's performance, according to the study. Dan McKee of Rhode Island was the second-most well-liked Democratic governor, receiving 59 percent of the vote.

Since January 2019, Lamont has been the 89th governor of the state. His term will expire in 2023. Lamont declared he would run for governor again on November 9.

Who is Ned Lamont - Governor of Connecticut: Biography, Time Life, Career and Family

Who is The Least Popular Governor In America?

Who Are The Most Popular Governors In The United States

Kate Brown - The Least Popular Governor In America

The five governors ranked lowest in the poll included Kathy Hochul of New York, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, David Ige of Hawaii, Doug Ducey of Arizona, and Kate Brown of Oregon.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown Is Least Popular Governor in America

The ranking showed that Brown’s approval rating from Oregonians is just 43%—the lowest of any governor in the nation.

There was a time when a governor’s popularity correlated closely to the economy.

According to recent polling by his company, DHM Research's John Horvick of Portland, similar levels of unhappiness with Brown were discovered. According to Horvick, "her numbers are as bad as Trump's were under his presidency." Of course, the epidemic and the resulting health, social, and economic disruptions have had a negative impact on every state. Brown's ratings are so low, according to Horvick, but he's not completely sure why.

Voters are upset about violence and homelessness, according to Horvick. Voters, in my opinion, believe that someone needs to be held accountable since there is a lot of disorder and destruction in the world.

According to Charles Boyle, the governor's spokesman, Brown is more concerned with servicing her citizens than she is with poll numbers.

The most unpopular governors in America

According to Morning Consult polls, two of the top four least popular governors are Democrats who are in charge of blue states.

These include David Ige, the governor of Hawaii, who received a 45% approval rating. Democrat Tony Evers, governor of Wisconsin, a competitive battlefield that alternates between the parties depending on the state of the nation's politics, is another governor who comes in around the bottom of the list. Moreover, 45% of people approved of him.

Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington has a 55% approval rating, while Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who recently avoided being recalled, has a 56% rating.

Only one Republican, Arizona's Gov. Doug Ducey, who has a 44% job approval rating, joins these Democrats as the most unpopular top leaders.

Full list of the most popular Govenors in the United States

Full List of the most and least popular governors in America

Biden - Lower Approval Rating

President Biden’s approval rating isn’t just bad, it’s worse than any governor in the United States.

Nine out of the top 10 governors, according to a recent poll by Morning Consult on state-level approval ratings, are Republicans. Kate Brown, a Democrat from Oregon, who is currently the least popular governor, is still at 43%. According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Biden has a 41.2 percent approval rating, so this is still better than him. He had been down in the 30s in some recent polls.