Georgia’s Nathan Deal One Of Most Popular Governors In US: Poll

ATLANTA, GA — As he nears the end of his second term and prepares to leave office, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is one of the most popular governors in the United States, according to a new quarterly poll released by Morning Consult. According to the Q2 poll, 56 percent of voters approve of Deal, while only 25 percent disapprove and the remaining 20 percent don’t know or have no opinion of the governor.

Deal ranks No. 9 among all governors, and all of the top 10 most popular leaders are Republicans.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is the most popular governor in the United States, according to the poll, with only a 1 percent higher approval rating than Maryland's Larry Hogan. Baker and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, both Republicans, retain the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the quarterly poll, which they also had when the first quarterly poll was conducted in 2018.

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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican who ranked No. 3 in the first quarterly poll, saw a whopping loss in his favorability, falling out of the top 10 and landing three spots from the bottom 10, according to Morning Consult. According to the poll, Scott’s support fell among both among registered voters in his own party and independents, but he remains popular among Democrats. The change comes after Scott signed gun restriction bills in the state, the poll noted.

Replacing Scott for the No. 3 spot was another Republican, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama.

New governors in New Jersey and Virginia, both Democrats, saw gains in the polls between the first and second quarter.

Here are the top 10 governors in America:

• Charlie Baker (R-Massachusetts)
• Larry Hogan (R-Maryland)
• Kay Ivey (R-Alabama)
• Chris Sununu (R-New Hampshire)
• Dennis Daugaard (R-South Dakota)
• Matt Mead (R-Wyoming)
• Brian Sandoval (R-Nevada)
• Asa Hutchinson (R-Arkansas)
• Nathan Deal (R-Georgia)
• Greg Abbott (R-Texas)

Here are the bottom 10 governors in America:

• Mary Fallin (R-Oklahoma)
• Dan Malloy (D-Connecticut)
• Bruce Rauner (R-Illinois)
• Matt Bevin (R-Kentucky)
• Bill Walker (I-Alaska)
• Susana Martinez (R-New Mexico)
• Paul Lepage (R-Maine)
• Rick Snyder (R-Michigan)
• Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin)
• David Ige (D-Hawaii)

Morning Consult conducted 326,051 surveys with registered U.S. voters from April 1 to June 30 for the poll. (You can see the full methodology here.)

Photo of Gov. Nathan Deal courtesy of Georgia governor's office