As the gun-control debate heats up at the state Capitol, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s job approval rating is at 48 percent to 39 percent, his highest ever, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday morning.
"Connecticut voters say Gov. Dannel Malloy is a good man to have in a crisis and give him very high grades for his response to recent crises in the state," Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said. "On the day-to-day issues of governing, such as budget, taxes and the economy, he gets failing grades."
During a survey Quinnipiac University conducted on March 6, his approval rating was split: 43 percent to 43 percent.
State lawmakers are debating on the state’s gun policy after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and Quinnipiac University asked voters about that issue.
Most, 48 percent, approve of the governor's handling of gun policy, while 39 percent did not.
By a margin of 66 percent to 29 percent, voters support stricter gun-control laws in Connecticut, with 70 percent to 27 percent support for a statewide ban on ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds and 71 percent 26 percent support for expanding the statewide ban on the sale of assault weapons.
However, 53 percent of voters said Republicans and Democrats in the State Legislature will not be able to work together to reduce gun violence in the state.
By a 49 percent to 27 percent margin, voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on gun policy, but they still are divided 48 percent to 47 percent on whether the governor and the State Legislature will be able to get something done to reduce gun violence this year.
"Connecticut voters by wide margins want action on gun-control, but they have less confidence that the State Legislature will deliver on this issue," Schwartz said. "Voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on gun-control and overall they dislike Democrats less than they dislike Republicans."
Voters approve, 76 to 17 percent. of Malloy's response to the Newtown shootings and 80 to 14 percent approve of his response to the February blizzard, up from 78 to 16 percent approval for his response to Hurricane Sandy.
Sixty-seven percent of voters said Malloy is a strong leader in a crisis, opposed to 27 percent.
Voter approval on his handling of other issues is mixed:
- 57 - 33 percent disapprove of his handling of the state budget;
- 45 - 39 percent approve of his handling of education;
- 61 - 29 percent disapprove of his handling of taxes;
- 56 - 35 percent disapprove of his handling of the economy.
- Only 42 percent of Connecticut voters said Malloy deserves to be reelected, while 45 percent said he does not deserve four more years.
In the latest poll, the Democratic governor’s approval rating was 72 percent to 15 percent among Democrats, while his disapproval is 69 percent to 21 percent among Republicans and 45 percent to 41 percent among independent voters.
Women approve of Malloy, 51 percent to 33 percent, while men are divided 45 percent to 46 percent.
Democrats in the State Legislature get mixed grades, with 44 percent of voters approving and 46 percent disapproving. Republicans get a negative 32 - 55 percent grade from voters.
You can read the rest of the poll on the Quinnipiac University Web site.
Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
