President Trump's Tennessee Approval Rating At 51 Percent

MURFREESBORO, TN — Donald Trump ran roughshod over Hillary Clinton in Tennessee in November's presidential election, winning 61 percent of the Volunteer State's vote, but the latest MTSU Poll shows that barely half of Tennesseans approve of the job he's done in his first month in office.

The poll of 600 registered voters pinned the president's approval rating at 51 percent, two points lower than his predecessor Barack Obama's approval rating among Tennesseans at the same point in his presidency. Obama, by contrast to Trump's resounding victory in Tennessee, received 42 percent of the vote in his first presidential run in Tennessee. For more local news that affects you, find and subscribe to your local Middle Tennessee Patch.

Obama's 53 percent approval rating among Tennesseans early in his first term was a function of the so-called "honeymoon period," which apparently did not benefit his successor.

“New presidents often enjoy a so-called honeymoon shortly after winning their first election, when unifying inaugural addresses and a public that hopes for the best contribute to even greater support and job approval than their winning vote totals,”Jason Reineke, associate director of the poll, said. “But that doesn’t appear to be the case for Trump.”

Trump's disapproval number — 32 percent — is five points higher than Obama's was in the spring of 2009.

On the state level, things were a little steadier. Gov. Bill Haslam's approval rating stands at 57 percent, essentially where its been his entire second term, with even 46 percent of Democrats giving the Republican a thumbs-up. The state legislature's approval rating held serve at 50 percent, where it's been for about a year.

About 51 percent of Tennesseans want some flavor of Republican governor to succeed the term-limited Haslam: 33 percent said a "conservative Republican" and 18 percent a "moderate Republican." Fourteen percent said they'd prefer a "moderate Democrat" with 9 percent opting for a "progressive Democrat."

Ken Blake, director of the poll, said a Republican gubernatorial hopeful would have a "pretty stiff tail wind," but noted that Tennesseans tend to elect statewide officials who can build a moderate coalition, as Haslam and his predecessor, Democrat Phil Bredesen, were able to do.

Image via Patch staff