Most and least popular governors in America

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June 28, 2019
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Most and least popular governors in America

Although the United States has gone through a dramatic period of political polarization, one truth remains: Americans love their Republican governors. The top ten most beloved governors in the United States right now are all Republicans鈥攕everal of whom serve majority-blue states. Just look at Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who has led the largely Democratic state of Massachusetts since taking office in 2015. A strong state economy, low unemployment, and a  have helped Baker's approval rating exceed 70%.

The latest data on governors' popularity ratings come from . These numbers are the result of 472,802 surveys with registered U.S. voters from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2019.  Morning Consult obtained population parameters for registered voters from the November 2012 Current Population Survey and applied post-stratification weights based on gender, age, educational attainment, and race.

In each poll, Americans indicated whether they approved or disapproved of the job performance of their governors. Those surveyed could also answer that they don't know or have an opinion on their leaders. All 50 U.S. governors are ranked here from lowest to highest approval, with ties broken by net approval (approval minus disapproval). However, some ties still remain, as a few governors are equal in both approval and net approval ratings.

A number of the governors serving their respective states broke historic boundaries to attain their positions. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island and Kristi Noem of South Dakota were the first female governors elected in their respective states, while Oregon's Kate Brown is the first openly LGBTQ+ governor in any state.

Washington's Jay Inslee and Montana's Steve Bullock both have aspirations of reaching higher office in 2020; both are seeking the Democratic nomination for president.

Read on to learn about the most and least popular governors in the country.

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#50. Matt Bevin (Kentucky)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 33%
- Disapproval rating: 52%
- Never heard of them: 16%

Gov. Matt Bevin is seeking re-election in November amidst a hailstorm of bad press, including fighting teachers' pensions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and blocking constituents from his social media accounts. Firing two of didn't help. Bevin replaced Hampton with a new running mate and said he anticipates a ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

#49. Ned Lamont (Connecticut)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 33%
- Disapproval rating: 38%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Since Ned Lamont won the November 2018 race, even he  over toll revenue and taxes between Lamont and his fellow Democratic legislators in the General Assembly. Since taking office in January, Lamont has signed several bills, including in criminal cases.

#48. Gina Raimondo (Rhode Island)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 50%
- Never heard of them: 10%

Venture capitalist and Gov. Gina Raimondo is Rhode Island's first woman governor. She is a practicing Catholic, and has joined many Democratic lawmakers across the country in: she codified . She hasn't seen majority approval ratings from her constituents for two straight years, according to Morning Consult.

#47. Ralph Northam (Virginia)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 24%

Google Gov. Ralph Northam's name, and you get the word 鈥渂lackface鈥 in the first page of results. CNN published pictures from Northam's medical school yearbook which portray the governor either in dressed in blackface or in a KKK costume. Northam claims these pictures were from a different time in his life, but the notoriety of his past pushes his popularity rankings down.

#46. J.B. Pritzker (Illinois)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 40%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 31%

Since Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire businessman, beat then-Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 general election, he has not grown more popular. The passage of his signals the 19th year straight of an unbalanced Illinois government, which is expected to lead to additional debt, spending cuts, or higher taxes., a move many saw as a means to secure his base.

#45. Kate Brown (Oregon)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 44%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Gov. Kate Brown recently who left the capitol before voting on a carbon emissions climate change bill. The Pacific Northwest leader once served in the Oregon Senate and House, and served as Oregon's secretary of state from 2009 until 2015. Brown is the first openly LGBTQ+ governor in the U.S.

#44. Michelle Lujan Grisham (New Mexico)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 33%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is a former New Mexico House representative and the 32nd governor of New Mexico. In June 2019, she became the first governor to seek monetary recompense for states sheltering foreign-born migrants by on behalf of her state in an effort to have asylum-seeking migrants released and humanitarian efforts reimbursed.

#43. Gavin Newsom (California)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 41%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 30%

Since taking office in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom has referred to California as ." Newsom, who served as San Francisco's mayor from 2004 to 2011, was also California's lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019, and has been an undeniable Democratic Party force in California for 15 years.

#42. Mike Dunleavy (Alaska)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 42%
- Disapproval rating: 29%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Former state senator Mike Dunleavy, who won the governorship in 2018, is moving a in Juneau to Wasilla, in order to give lawmakers a fresh set of eyes on an old issue. The issue up for debate is how much to provide residents from the state's oil wealth, a decision lawmakers have struggled to make for five months.

#41. Steve Sisolak (Nevada)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 43%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 34%

Gov. Steve Sisolak is Nevada's first Democratic leader in 20 years. Reflecting on his first 100 days in Office, he said is still the state's biggest concern. Sisolak has been open in his distaste for a , unlike other local leaders who support such a system over the electoral college.

#40. Laura Kelly (Kansas)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 43%
- Disapproval rating: 20%
- Never heard of them: 37%

Newly elected Gov. Laura Kelly, who beat Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, is enjoying a middling approval rating among her constituents鈥攁lthough her numbers represent an impressive percentage for a Democrat leading a GOP-dominated state. In June, she and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson worked on a  in which each state was providing incentives to employers to come across state lines.

#39. Kim Reynolds (Iowa)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 37%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Gov. Kim Reynolds is the first woman to hold the position in Iowa, although she was already a household name after serving as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017. in early June because of chest pains, but released the next day with no report of heart issues. She was back in the headlines less than two weeks later as news broke that she had inexplicably asked for the resignation of .

#37. Mike DeWine (Ohio) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 30%

Gov. Mike DeWine by a narrow margin in Ohio's 2018 gubernatorial race. He's been busy since, attempting to expand broadband internet access across the state while also seeking disaster relief for farmers devastated by extreme rain.

#37. Jared Polis (Colorado) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 31%

Just six months into Gov. Jared Polis' term in Colorado, conservatives in the state began cirtulating . Among reasons cited for his unpopularity are oil and gas regulation reform and his support for the National Popular Vote movement, which would change the electoral voting process for the U.S. president.

#36. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 32%

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's approval rating has dropped nine points since she took office in January 2019. The former Ingham County prosecutor has most recently made more than 3 million acres of farmland available for , pushed for an infusion of $526 million to the state's K-12 education budget, and鈥攎ost dramatically鈥攕igned a supplemental .

#34. Mike Parson (Missouri) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 18%
- Never heard of them: 38%

Gov. Mike Parson stepped into office in June of 2018 when former Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in the wake of alleged campaign violations and sexual harassment. While pondering his  this past month, Parson said it wasn't easy to enter his leadership role so suddenly. Since Parson began serving, .

#34. Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 44%
- Disapproval rating: 18%
- Never heard of them: 38%

A Tulsa Beacon column claims Oklahoma's 28th governor is keeping his campaign promises by increasing teacher salaries. In 2019, Stitt used his executive power to stop state agencies from ; however, between January and May of the same year, lobbyists spent $437,500 on everything from gifts to meals for Oklahoma legislators. Also,  left his post in early June, effectively leaving Stitt in the position of political authority to deal with the state's troubled prison system.

#33. Phil Murphy (New Jersey)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 45%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Stepping in after his infamous predecessor Chris Christie, Gov. Phil Murphy is not faring too badly in New Jersey. Since taking office in 2018, Murphy  over a $37.8 billion budget for the Garden State, in which he wants to include a millionaire's tax.

#32. Tim Walz (Minnesota)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 45%
- Disapproval rating: 24%
- Never heard of them: 32%

The LGBTQ+ flag flew over the Minnesota governor's mansion for the first time under gay rights activist Gov. Tim Walz, who promised to. Walz  and share his daily calendar, causing some to question his honesty, according to reporting from the Star Tribune.

#31. Tony Evers (Wisconsin)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 46%
- Disapproval rating: 26%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Wisconsin's 46th governor, Democrat Tony Evers, has had his power since he took office. Still, he has vetoed four abortion bills presented by the GOP-controlled legislature since taking office in January 2019. The most recent bill he did sign put a moratorium on tax breaks for businesses leaving Wisconsin.

#30. David Ige (Hawaii)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 17%

In his second term as Hawaii's governor, David Ige has had to handle such major incidents as the and the 2015 state of emergency over homelessness, while simultaneously in the country. The governor most recently allowed decriminalization for tiny quantities of marijuana (to take effect January 2020). He also announced his intent to veto a bill that would seek to transfer the responsibility of collecting taxes from rental companies like Airbnb to the state in order to better track .

#28. John Bel Edwards (Louisiana) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Unlike most of his Democratic peers pushing pro-choice legislation across the nation, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is doing the opposite: he signed  after a fetal heartbeat is felt about six weeks after conception. His move ignited a response from top Democratic leaders, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who called the heartbeat bill 鈥渉eartbreaking.鈥 

#28. Jay Inslee (Washington) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 47%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 22%

Gov. Jay Inslee is among the host of Democratic candidates running for president. His presidential agenda focuses on combating climate change; two of his major policy proposals include a , the process of extracting oil and gas from shale rock, and a 鈥淔reedom From Fossil Fuels Plan鈥 which would require federal agencies to perform climate tests on proposed pipelines.

#27. Brian Kemp (Georgia)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 48%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Georgia's former secretary of state is working to keep his campaign promise to secure more jobs throughout the state; he even  to seek out businesses. Gov. Brian Kemp had few qualms about making three LGBTQ+ appointments in his administration, saying, 鈥溾

#26. Andrew Cuomo (New York)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 40%
- Never heard of them: 12%

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is following in his late father Mario Cuomo's footsteps by serving as New York's state leader for two terms since 2011. His charisma may be slipping, however;  reported that Cuomo's promises to push recreational marijuana in the New York General Assembly and cap charter school costs were empty, making him unpopular in Albany.

#25. Kristi Noem (South Dakota)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 19%

South Dakota's first female Gov. Kristi Noem made history in the November 2018 election for more than just her gender. Her defeat over Democratic opponent state Sen. Billie Sutton also made Noem the to become governor of the state after serving it in Congress. In her acceptance speech, Noem talked about her background growing up on a farm with her four siblings.

#24. Roy Cooper III (North Carolina)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 23%

Gov. Roy Cooper III as North Carolina's Attorney General prior to his 2016 run for governor, in which he narrowly defeated the Republican incumbent Pat McCrory. After assuming office, he has frequently clashed with the Republican-led General Assembly; most recently, he which he said "values corporate tax breaks over classrooms, gimmicks over guaranteed school construction, and political ideology over people."

#23. Eric Holcomb (Indiana)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 49%
- Disapproval rating: 22%
- Never heard of them: 29%

Gov. Eric Holcomb, the former lieutenant governor under former governor (now Vice President) Mike Pence, has informed officials in Washington that and will not legalize recreational use of marijuana. While he rejects cannabis, Holcomb welcomes gambling expansion in Indiana to keep it competitive with Illinois's legal gambling industry.

#22. Jim Justice (West Virginia)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 36%
- Never heard of them: 14%

Gov. Jim Justice has no problem. He switched his allegiance from Democrat to Republican during a presidential rally in Huntington. Like Trump,; some claim the oil mining family is guilty of racketeering and fraud.

#20. Janet Mills (Maine) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 30%
- Never heard of them: 20%

Maine's 75th Gov. Janet Mills has signed several bills since taking office in January, including a ban on single-use plastic bags, protections for Indian tribe fishing rights, and expanded abortion services. She has also pushed to legalize recreational marijuana sales by March 2020; if Mills succeeds,.

#20. Doug Ducey (Arizona) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 50%
- Disapproval rating: 30%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Gov. Doug Ducey is proving. He's signed off on dozens of bills since January, and has implemented vision screening in public schools, pushed for medical marijuana testing, and given Arizona landlords more eviction rights, among other initiatives.

#19. Gary Herbert (Utah)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 27%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Although he has a high approval rating from Morning Consult and Utah voters, Utah's nine-year Gov. Gary Herbert has. He is particularly popular among Utah's refugee community, who awarded the 17th governor a lifetime achievement award, mainly because he.

#18. Phil Bryant (Mississippi)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 25%
- Never heard of them: 23%

Gov. Phil Bryant is popular among Mississippians: they have elected him twice as the state leader, once as lieutenant governor, and a few times as state auditor. Bryant, an advocate for criminal justice reform, recently for being a champion on the issue after he attended a White House event with the reality TV star.

#17. Brad Little (Idaho)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 52%
- Disapproval rating: 16%
- Never heard of them: 32%

Gov. Brad Little served as lieutenant governor for a decade before taking the state's top political job. Now, he's under pressure to . He's most recently put together a census committee for 2020 and a panel to spearhead conservation efforts, specifically directed at .

#16. Tom Wolf (Pennsylvania)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 53%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 15%

A Quinnipiac University poll puts reelected Gov. Tom Wolf in a positive light, noting that his was higher this past May than when he was sworn in earlier in the year. Mary Snow, a polling analyst, said, which is one reason that voters were eager to bring Wolf on for a second term.

#15. Mark Gordon (Wyoming)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 53%
- Disapproval rating: 10%
- Never heard of them: 37%

While Wyoming's Gov. Mark Gordon remains popular among constituents, he is not so well-liked by Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr, who and intimidating behavior. Since taking office in January, Gordon has declared June as the 鈥淕reat Outdoors Month鈥 in Wyoming and June 10 as 鈥淲yoming Equal Pay Day.鈥

#14. Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 32%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2018. In May, Ricketts  that has no significant tax increases, while offering property tax relief and expanding school aid.

#12. Steve Bullock (Montana) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Steve Bullock calls his chance to run against President Donald Trump the battle of his career. Bullock is a latecomer in the race, but has when he won the governor's race for the second time in 2016 in the Republican-ruled state.

#12. John Carney (Delaware) (tie)

- Party: Democrat
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Carney represented Delaware in the House of Representatives before landing his role as Delaware's governor in the 2016 election, beating GOP contender Colin Bonini. Two years later, Gov. John Carney than ever before in state history. In 2018, Morning Consults reported that Carney had a halfway through his four-year term.

#11. Ron DeSantis (Florida)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 20%
- Never heard of them: 27%

Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis has. DeSantis has been on a number of occasions, including a comment on the election trail that voters shouldn't "monkey this up"鈥攔eferring to his black opponent. The Yale- and Harvard-educated former naval officer represented Florida's sixth district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018.

#10. Bill Lee (Tennessee)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 54%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 33%

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Gov. Bill Lee, the former CEO of the Lee Co., touted his business acumen and endeared himself to voters by poking fun at his lack of political experience on the campaign trail. Lee has championed criminal justice reform and legalized sports betting, and signed a school voucher bill into law since taking office in 2019.

#9. Doug Burgum (North Dakota)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 55%
- Disapproval rating: 21%
- Never heard of them: 24%

Gov. Doug Burgum had no political experience before he became North Dakota's 33rd state leader. The North Dakota native, who sold his company to Microsoft for more than $1 billion, is, according to a Grand Forks Herald report.

#6. Henry McMaster (South Carolina) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 21%

Gov. Henry McMaster has made a name for himself as a former attorney general and lieutenant governor of South Carolina, and is. The state's economic development and tax breaks under his administration have gained the South Carolina native high approval ratings, which rose from 48% in 2018 to 57% in 2019.

#6. Greg Abbott (Texas) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 20%

Before assuming the governorship in 2015, Greg Abbott was Texas' attorney general for more than a decade. His long-standing commitment to Texas . He also successfully pushed to.

#6. Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas) (tie)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 57%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 19%

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson ties with the governors of Texas and South Carolina at sixth in popularity, and has served Arkansas since 2015. Hutchinson's nephew, former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, currently as well as a bribery allegation.

#5. Phil Scott (Vermont)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 59%
- Disapproval rating: 28%
- Never heard of them: 13%

After serving as lieutenant governor for six years, Gov. Phil Scott assumed office as Vermont's leader in 2017. Since then, Scott has seen up and down approval ratings, legislation. Morning Consult also pointed out that 鈥渇ar amid his reelection run鈥 in the second quarter 2018 rankings, noting that 鈥渢hose shifts in sentiment follow Scott's decision to sign bills tightening gun restrictions in the state after a teenager was caught planning a school shooting.鈥

#4. Kay Ivey (Alabama)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 63%
- Disapproval rating: 19%
- Never heard of them: 18%

Like several other popular state leaders, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey served as the state's lieutenant governor for six years before assuming the top political office in 2017. Her successes include efforts to. She also recently .

#3. Chris Sununu (New Hampshire)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 64%
- Disapproval rating: 23%
- Never heard of them: 13%

Since 2018, Sununu has appeared to be, including a promise to provide universal background checks for gun owners. Still, Morning Consult rates him as the country's third most popular governor.

#2. Larry Hogan (Maryland)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 71%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 15%

Republican Larry Hogan overcame several obstacles to reach an approval rating over 70% in a mostly blue state. As the state's 62nd governor, Hogan is just the ninth Republican to lead Maryland and, in 2015,. Hogan's moderate policies and willingness to back initiatives from across the political aisle give him the lowest disapproval rating among the governors at 14%.

#1. Charlie Baker (Massachusetts)

- Party: Republican
- Approval rating: 73%
- Disapproval rating: 14%
- Never heard of them: 14%

Charlie Baker has topped the approval ratings nationwide for the second straight year, despite being a Republican in predominantly Democratic Massachusetts. Politico cited Baker's ability to without abandoning his Republican base. Baker, who was educated at Harvard, won his reelection bid in 2018 by a landslide, amassing a record 67% of the popular vote.

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