Nathan Deal One Of Nation's Most Popular Governors

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is a conservative Republican who's shown he's willing to buck his own party on issues he thinks will hurt the state.

He's also one of the most popular governors in the nation.

Deal ranked No. 11 in a new ranking of the nation's 50 governors. The Morning Consult Governor Approval rankings polled more than 85,000 registered voters across America to evaluate the job performance of their governors.

The polling ran from from January through March.

According to the rankings, 63 percent of Georgians approved of the job Deal is doing, while 25 percent disapproved.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, of Massachusetts, was ranked No. 1 on the list, with 75 percent approval compared to 17 percent disapproval. New Jersey Republican Chris Christie was ranked the least popular governor in the United States, with just a 25 percent approval rate.

Deal, 74, was elected governor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 1995.

As governor in a state in which both chambers of the legislature are controlled by his fellow Republicans, Deal has shown a bit of an independent streak similar to other governors who finished high on the Morning Consult list.

Deal has backed one of the nation's toughest state immigration policies and the so-called "Guns Everywhere" bill that dramatically expanded the spaces in which it's legal to carry a firearm.

But he vetoed a bill that would have allowed handguns to be carried on college campuses and a high-profile "religious liberty" bill that was condemned by many as anti-gay and fought by some of the state's largest corporations.

Deal also has become known as a champion of the television and film industry in Georgia, supporting tax incentives and infrastructure that have helped turn it into a $7 billion industry in the state.

The complete top 10 in the Morning Consult Governor Approval rankings:

• Charlie Baker (R-MA)
• Larry Hogan (R-MD)
• Doug Burgum (R-ND)
• Phil Scott (R-VT)
• Dennis Daugaard (R-SD)
• Asa Hutchinson (R-AK)
• Greg Abbott (R-TX)
• Bill Haslam (R-TN)
• Brian Sandoval (R-NV)
• Gary Herbert (R-UT)
• Nathan Deal (R-GA)

Photo courtesy Gov. Nathan Deal's office