The GOP governors' plummeting popularity

Voters have soured quickly on new Republican governors in some big swing states. Is this a recipe for disaster in 2012?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker isn't the only newly elected Republican governor to feel the heat from his constituency.
(Image credit: Facebook)

Republicans took over the governors' mansions in several key states in 2010, but recent polls suggest that many voters are already fed up with their slash-and-burn, budget-cutting ways. First, the poll numbers of governors John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin dropped sharply. Now Gov. Rick Scott, in the crucial swing state of Florida, is finding that "the honeymoon is over," with his approval rating sinking to 33 percent just three months into his term, according to Public Policy Polling. Does this signal big trouble for the GOP in the 2012 elections? (Watch an MSNBC report about the poll results.)

This could spell doom for Republicans: "The rejection of these governors' austerity packages" could cost the GOP big in 2012, says Dave Weigel at Slate, and not just in their home states. It could cripple the party's presidential ticket, because "it's hard to win without Ohio and Florida." But Republicans still might dodge this bullet: Anger over the budget cuts could subside before election day — if the economy improves.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us