New poll shows Greitens with 51 percent approval rating

By Benjamin Peters

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Even in the world of politics, it’s all just one big popularity contest. And if that holds true, then Governor Eric Greitens may not be doing as well as he hoped, according to a new poll.

The Morning Consult on Tuesday released the results of their Governor Approval Rankings, which used data that was collected from interviews with more than 195,000 registered voters across the U.S. from April 1 through July 10.

Greitens finished 34th among the governors in the approval portion, with a 51 percent approval rating. His numbers also showed 28 percent disapproving (21st among governors), and 22 percent unsure, which ranked number 4 among all governors.

The data shows neighboring Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas with the second-lowest approval rating, only surpassed by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker, who recently visited Missouri to support Greitens as he signed a bill on project labor agreements back in May, also showed low approval ratings, finishing 43rd with 43 percent approval and a 51 percent disapproval rate.

Austin Chambers, former campaign manager for Greitens, called the numbers “great news.”

But the polling also seems to indicate that some GOP governors are thriving in typically Democratic states. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a strong blue state, boasts the highest approval of all, coming in at 71 percent.

You can read the full report here.

This story originally appeared in The Missouri Times.