Massachusetts Really Loves Charlie Baker

Once again, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is the most popular governor in the United States, according to a new quarterly poll released by Morning Consult. The Q2 poll said 69 percent of voters approve of Baker, while only 17 percent disapprove and the rest don’t know of or have no opinion of the governor.

Baker and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, both Republicans, captured the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the quarterly poll, retaining the same spots as the first quarterly poll conducted in 2018 despite presiding over blue states. Baker is up for reelection in 2018 and the latest polling has him comfortably ahead in the race.

Baker has consistently polled as the country's most popular governor. A June poll by Suffolk University reported more than 59 percent of respondents said they considered Baker an "anti-Trump" Republican, while 13.6 percent saw him as "pro-Trump."

Opposing Baker in the GOP primary will be conservative - and controversial - pastor Scott Lively. Lively, who the Southern Poverty Law Center says founded a hate group, won nearly 28 percent of delegates' support in Worcester in April.

• >>>Related: Who Is Scott Lively, And Why Is He Running For Gov?
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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 Hampshire's Chris Sununu was fourth.

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 by Alison Bauter for Patc