Poll shows Gov. Phil Bryant approval tops even Trump
An
That's a better showing in the state than President
Both
And Bryant has a better approval rating than the
And compared regionally, a companion poll of residents of Southern states found that just 21 percent expressed confidence in their state government doing the right thing all or most of the time, putting the
The online survey polled 1,486 people over the age of 18
The poll was conducted in the same period during which Bryant raised eyebrows in mainstream Republican circles by announcing that
Among those identifying their party affiliation, 91 percent of Republican respondents approved of Bryant's job performance compared to 44 percent among both
Bryant's 67 percent approval rating closely tracks with the margin by which he won re-election in 2015, when he won 66.6 percent of votes to 32.1 percent of his Democratic rival,
A staunch conservative, Bryant became known in some circles as the nation's first tea-party governor when he was elected in 2011. That year, then-Lt.
That effort failed, but Bryant has routinely been at the forefront of battles pushing pro-life initiatives, toughening state immigration policies and promoting "religious liberty" efforts that critics say could allowed LGBT persons to be discriminated against.
In his state-of-the-state address, Bryant enumerated accomplishments of his tenure, including record low state unemployment, new economic development projects around the state, a new state trooper school and the opening of the
"We're celebrating it because we believe -- and I just heard this morning that in the latest polls ... more Mississippians believe we're on the right track now than they have in any time in recent history," Bryant said in his remarks at the
During the most recent legislative session, Bryant supported a ban on all abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy, which drew an immediate constitutional challenge from reproductive rights advocates.
Bryant has also staunchly supported President
"At times during his two terms, he's probably been the most popular political figure of my lifetime," Taggart said.
Taggart, who publicly flirted with the prospect of a
"The governor is uniquely situated to lead us to a new state flag," Taggart said.
Bryant's favorability is highest among people over age 65, at 74 percent. He also enjoys above 50 percent approval in most other age categories as well as between genders.
Seventy one percent of men approve of Bryant's handling of his job compared to 64 percent of women.
Of all the racial groups polled, nonwhites rated Bryant lowest. Among African Americans, who make up 37 percent of
Meanwhile, the legislative branch also has approval ratings of over 50 percent, but not as high as Bryant. According to the poll, 56 percent of people "strongly" or "somewhat" approve of how the Legislature is handling its job compared to 40 percent of people who disapprove of the Legislature.
Nonetheless, trust of the state government is low with a combined 26 percent of respondents saying they trust the state government to do what's right "most of the time" or "just about always." In addition 23 percent of people polled said they trust the state government to do the right thing "some of the time" and 18 percent trust the state government "almost never."
Thirty-one percent of people trust the state "about half the time," the polling revealed.
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(c)2018 The Natchez Democrat (Natchez, Miss.)
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