Here’s How Virginia’s Ralph Northam Ranks Among US Governors

RICHMOND, VA — He's been in office less than a year, but so far Virginians seem OK with Gov. Ralph Northam. According to a new quarterly poll released by Morning Consult, 47 percent of voters approve of Northam, while 26 percent disapprove and 27 percent don’t know or have no opinion of the governor.

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. A Real Clear Politics average of polling data gives Hogan a comfortable lead over Democrat Ben Jealous in the race, 49 percent to 34.3 percent.

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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.

Democrats Northam in Virginia and Phil Murphy in New Jersey, who were both elected last year, are faring OK so far. Murphy saw an 8-point net boost between the first and second quarters, with 43 percent of New Jerseyans approving of his job performance. Northam saw a smaller bump of 3 points — 47 percent of registered voters in Virginia back him.

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. Ralph Northam courtesy of Virginia governor's office