(The Center Square) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is among the top-10 most popular governors in the country, according to a recently released national survey.
The U.S. Governor Approval Outlook survey by Morning Consult finds Polis has a 61% approval rating, with 31% disapproving of his job performance as governor. That marks the second-highest approval rating for a Democratic governor.
“Since the beginning of 2017, Morning Consult has asked every registered U.S. voter we survey what they think of the job performance of their governor,” Morning Consult says about the survey, which was conducted between August 1 and Oct. 31. “By consolidating responses from these daily interviews, we are able to provide the industry’s only comprehensive look at the popularity of America’s top elected official in all 50 states.”
Polis ranks seventh for popularity behind Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (84%), Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (74%), Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (66%), Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (64%), Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (63%), and Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (62%), according to Morning Consult.
The Colorado governor’s popularity sits in-line with that of Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (61%), Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (61%), and above Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (60%).
Polis is in his second term as governor and was reelected in 2022, securing 58.5% of the vote in Colorado. Polis’s 2022 campaign largely ran on “saving people money” and combating inflation.
“We’re going to keep using every tool we have to help save Coloradans money,” Polis said in his State of the State address last January after he ras reelected. “That means lower taxes, lower transportation costs, lower medical bills, lower business fees and, of course, lower housing costs. Anything we can do, we must do when it comes to helping you hold on to more of your hard-earned money.”
Among the governor’s achievements in his first term were passing campaign promises such as full-day kindergarten and statewide universal preschool. He’s also supported failed ballot measures to overhaul Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in his tenure as governor.
Lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled legislature also passed a massive transportation bill paid for by fee hikes in 2021 – which was backed by the governor – but later passed a delay to some of those fees in 2022 citing “increased economic pressure” from inflation.
