April 12, 2018

Senators’ approval ratings drop (but still above water), Governor’s approval rating rises (but still below water)

The approval ratings of both U.S. Senators from New Mexico fell while Gov. Susana Martinez’s rose slightly, according to Morning Consult’s quarterly polls of registered voters. Both U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall have more voters who approve of their job performance than disapprove, while Martinez’s job approval ratings remain underwater. The pollster released […]

Matthew Reichbach

The approval ratings of both U.S. Senators from New Mexico fell while Gov. Susana Martinez’s rose slightly, according to Morning Consult’s quarterly polls of registered voters.

Both U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall have more voters who approve of their job performance than disapprove, while Martinez’s job approval ratings remain underwater.

The pollster released its quarterly numbers on the statewide elected officials Thursday, along with the numbers for all U.S. Senators and governors.

Heinrich’s approval rating sits at 41 percent, compared to 34 percent who disapprove. Udall’s approval rating sits at 44 percent, compared to 34 percent who disapprove.

Gov. Susana Martinez during the 2016 Legislative Session. Photo Credit: Andy Lyman.

Martinez, meanwhile, has an approval rating of 37 percent, compared to 53 percent who disapprove. Martinez is the fourth-least popular governor according to the ratings, with a net spread of -16 percent.

The approval ratings for the senators dropped significantly from the last Morning Consult poll, released in January. At that time, Heinrich’s approval rating sat at 46 percent, compared to 29 percent who disapproved. Udall’s job approval rating was at 49 percent, compared to 29 percent who disapproved.

For Martinez, the numbers represent an improvement from the last poll. At the time, just 33 percent of voters approved of Martinez’s job performance, compared to 57 percent who disapproved.

Among Senators, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell remains at the bottom of the list, with just 34 percent of Kentucky voters who approved of the Republican’s job performance and 52 percent who disapprove. At the top is Independent Bernie Sanders, where 72 percent of Vermont voters approve of his job performance and 23 percent disapprove.

Among governors, Massachusetts Republican Charlie Baker leads the way with a 71 percent approval number compared to just 16 percent who disapprove. At the bottom is Democrat Dan Malloy of Connecticut, with 72 percent who disapprove, compared to just 21 percent who approve.

The poll came after Morning Consult polled 275,358 registered voters between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The results for New Mexico have a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.